Rotherham look to Don Valley for Premier chance

The club, who face a must-win fixture with Cornish Pirates today in the RFU Championship play-offs, have told the game’s governing bodies that if they win promotion they will play at the Don Valley Stadium.

Even if they reach the play-off semi-finals and final this season they will have to play the home leg of both at Don Valley because the town’s cricket club take priority at their traditional Clifton Lane ground.

The Titans are also exploring the option of playing at Don Valley next season even if they remain a Championship club. Such is the strict criteria set out by the Rugby Football Union for entry into the Premiership, the Titans could never harbour such hopes of returning to the top flight playing at Clifton Lane. Of the six demands the RFU impose on clubs, the most pertinent is that a ground must have a minimum of a 10,000-seater capacity and clubs must have primacy of tenure.

Rotherham meet none of those requirements at Clifton Lane, but would do so at the 25,000-seater Don Valley Stadium which the Titans would have primacy over next season after the town’s football club move back into Rotherham.

Having joint-tenancy at the Millers’ New York Stadium – which will be opened in July – has already been ruled out.

Andre Bester’s Titans host Cornish Pirates at Clifton Lane today, in what could be one of the final games played at the club’s long-standing home.

Full story: Page 7.