'There's a buzz about Rotherham Titans': How Harvey Biljon helped resurrect a famous Yorkshire name

There is very little modern about it. And yet it has charm, it has authenticity, a damn good pie and peas on matchday, and it has history - and right now, a bright future.

There have been some belting games down at Clifton Lane, some famous days, and a fair few characters who have led them through the years, watching on from the conservatory or up on the gantry on the wicket of the out-of-use cricket pitch.

From a Yorkshire favourite in Jim Kilfoyle to a larger-than-life South African in Andre Bester, a larger-than-most-folk Canadian in Mike Schmid to a young coach in Lee Blackett who you just sensed was on his way to bigger and better things.

They all got it. They all understood what made Rotherham Rugby Club such a special place. And they’ve found another one in Harvey Biljon, the South African former Natal Sharks and Wasps scrum-half who led Jersey Reds to an unlikely second-tier title two years ago.

“It’s a unique club that holds on to the traditional values and ethos of the game,” smiles Biljon, when asked what makes this club so special.

“That is massively reinforced by the way the players integrate with the supporters. This is a unique club from the way it’s supported. They’ll get on the bus and follow them anywhere.

“And don’t under-estimate the impact this club had on me when I was a player.

“I played against Rotherham twice in my career with Wasps, once here at Clifton Lane and once at Millmoor.

“We won, but we knew when we came off the field we’d been in a game. They weren’t just driven by the opposition. They were driven by the connection with the fans.”

It’s no surprise to hear a coach lavishing praise on a fanbase but it’s perhaps Biljon’s deeds, rather than his words, that underline how he has embraced Rotherham.

For he is not someone who is just trundling down the hill to take training twice a week and pick the team on a Saturday. Biljon commutes every week from Jersey.

He flies into Birmingham on a Tuesday and then takes the train to Rotherham ahead of a first training session of the week that evening, then a second on Thursday, followed by the game on Saturday. In between he is integrating himself into the Rotherham culture, helping build the club bit by bit, and planning…

Half an hour sat across from him in the Rotherham clubhouse ahead of their National One opener at Sale FC this afternoon, it is little wonder he has had such a profound impact on the club, and they on him.

Biljon does not waste words. Every question is greeted with a pause, a closing of the eyes as he considers the answer, and then a carefully-worded response.

He does not waste time, either. Every training session planned to the minute, every opponent evaluated to the nth degree.

When you’re travelling so far to come to work, every session has to count.

“I’ve probably not thought about it from that perspective,” he says.

“I put time into every session so when the players turn up they know it’s planned, it’s ready, it’s aligned to what we’re doing and where we’re going.

“And I think the players appreciate there’s a plan in place, they also appreciate that they will get feedback on their training.

“If you want to improve, to be a next-level player, then you conduct yourself like a next-level player.

“If we want to be a next-level club then we conduct ourselves like a next-level club.”

Biljon first came to Rotherham in October 2023 on a part-time basis as a consultant director of rugby. He had spent 10 years with Jersey having cut his coaching teeth at Blackheath and Cornish Pirates.

Jersey had set out an ambitious plan to win the Championship title in three years. Biljon achieved it in year one.

Then they imploded financially. He doesn’t like to talk about it, “because I’m at Rotherham now”, but there were lessons to be learned.

“It was an emotional experience,” he says. “I’d like to think if we at Rotherham stay true to what we are as a club, we conduct ourselves professionally but hold on to traditional values and ethos of the game, and work within our remit, then we will go well. That doesn’t necessarily mean winning championships or going to the Premiership, it means a club that stands out, that people recognise and supporters love being a part of.”

And Rotherham have been going well. When he came in nearly two years ago they were riding Leeds Tykes’ coat-tails in National Two North, the fourth tier. Biljon helped them ambush their Yorkshire rivals and snatch the title and promotion.

Excited by the project, he stayed on, orchestrating a challenge for promotion from National One that only petered out in the final weeks of last season.

In the process, Biljon, his support team, his squad of players and the fans he speaks so warmly of have got the Titans looking up again after so many years in the doldrums.

“There’s a buzz about Rotherham,” he admits. “I’m hearing it from people in the game from Coventry to Penzance.

“There’s clearly a feeling that there’s something going on here, and it’s exciting to be part of. I need to remind myself every now and again how far we’ve come, from when I first walked up that ramp of a drive into Clifton Lane.”

But with that external interest, comes pressure.

“There’s a fine balance to being noticed and there being something going on at the club,” he offers. “We’re making improvements all the time, small things that add up and just put us in a position that should an opportunity arrive we’re ready for it.”

So how far can Rotherham go? Promotion back to the second tier? Would they consider the Premiership again given the second of their one-year stays there in 2003-04 nearly sent them to the wall?

For the answers to those questions, don’t ask Biljon. He is not a man to talk targets.

“Experience tells me that if you get ahead of yourselves it’s not a good look,” is his response.

“Rugby is an honest sport and if you don’t turn up you get found out. So stay in that moment.

“All I want is our supporters to see that our players have played with their hearts on their sleeve. I want our players to have the confidence to go out there and express themselves. The outcome we can’t control, but we will be prepared.”

Biljon is a very process-driven coach, one session to the next, one game to the next.

“It’s something you learn along the way,” he adds. “I just want to maximise every training session, I don’t want to waste any session. Is there an opportunity for you to get better this session?

“If you look at the end outcome you will get caught out, so just be aware of where your feet are in this moment. I want players to arrive at Rotherham and when they leave they leave a better player.”

Clearly, though, there is an ambition to keep pushing. Biljon turned heads with what he achieved at Jersey and what he is doing at Rotherham. His ambition needs to be matched.

“There are things going on here,” says Biljon. “There is an infrastructure and a strategy around moving the club forward, on-field and off-field. If you’re not moving forwards you’re going backwards, and we want to take that next step.”

He has applied that principle in his recruitment for Rotherham’s second season in the third tier. Anthony Posa, a previous coach who couldn’t stop Rotherham’s fall but is now masterminding Sheffield RUFC’s rise, referred to the squad Biljon has assembled after they met in pre-season as the ‘galacticos’.

Biljon shakes his head. “We’ve stayed true to our recruitment policy, we’ve recruited young guys we feel have got the raw materials to push on and now it’s up to us to coach them and give them the opportunity and see how they perform under pressure.

“It’s very tough in a semi-pro environment to find that life balance, but also that ambition to be the best footballer you can be and play at the highest standard you can.”

Rotherham Titans have had some great coaches down the years; Harvey Biljon is in the process of adding his name to that list. Encouragingly for the fans he speaks so highly of and who he is always available to, he might still have many chapters left to pen. And yet it is he who feels the fortunate one.

“I’ve been lucky to step into a dressing room and a club like this,” he smiles, “and I’d be lying if I said I didn’t want to contribute and add value to that.”