West departs with head held high and Titans in fine shape

Craig West can rest safe in the knowledge that he has done both for Rotherham Titans.

In his two-and-a-half-year reign as head coach of the South Yorkshire club, West stabilised the club in the constantly-changing landscape of English rugby union's second tier.

The Championship is a division wracked with uncertainty and at the whim of a governing body that remorselessly tinkers with the format, with little regard for the people who work tirelessly to keep afloat such proud institutions.

The RFU want a professional second tier to support the Premiership and the England team.

Semi-professional Rotherham do not fit the bill, so their achievement these past two years in defying the rising tide deserves applauding.

In sport, however, mere stability does not cut the mustard and West took charge of his final game on Saturday after both coach and club acknowledged it was time for a change.

That the contest with Coventry meant little to Rotherham after they won their first four play-off games to ensure another season in the Championship, owed much to the calm manner and devoted work ethic of West.

"We have left the squad in far better shape than they were in two-and-a-half-years ago," said the self-effacing West, whose successor will be named this week with Andre Bester, the Rotherham coach from 2005-2007 when they last went close to a Premiership return, the front-runner.

"Whoever comes in inherits a good squad, particularly with the likes of Sam Dickinson and Ryan Burrows.

"I'm sad to say goodbye to those players; they are among four or five I am very proud to have helped establish as quailty operators in the division.

"Rotherham are in a good position for next season, and even with the few who are leaving, it is a helluva set of players. The incoming coach will want to bring in his own people but he has a core there that is very strong."

Managing in the mis-matched waters of the second tier, though, is not just about picking 15 players to take the field.

A coach has to play a big role in balancing the books, something West juggled adequately while the likes of Nottingham, London Welsh, Coventry and Birmingham Solihull sailed too close to the wind.

"In the two-and-a-half-years I was with Rotherham, the league structure changed twice," reasoned West. "But we tried to stay true to our principles and kept everything the same.

"I believed in what we did and we did well to stabilise the team in a very competitive division. It's difficult competing against professional outfits when you only train two or three nights a week and you've got lads with work commitments.

"But we were never far behind in conditioning terms."

Rotherham's cause was helped by Kevin Maggs, the former Bristol and Ireland centre, who was a big factor in the Titans avoiding relegation these last two years. As well as playing this season, Maggs also assisted West with the coaching and has interviewed to succeed his former boss.

"He made the situation a lot easier when he came in, in both seasons," said West, who cited the stress of the job as one of the main reasons why he decided to resign. "Any bookmaker last year would have been against us staying up. Kevin Maggs coming into the team had a massive influence and, along with other factors, we survived.

"We were two like-minded people working together. We believed we were just getting there this season and one of my regrets is having to leave that partnership.

"We were confident we could have pushed on next season."

For now, West plans to take a break from the game and concentrate on picking up the pieces of his own private business that was forced on the back-burner when, in November 2007, the call came to rescue a Rotherham side he represented with distinction as a player.

He was at Yorkshire amateur side Cleckheaton when the Clifton Lane SOS was sounded and would not be adverse to taking a job at a similar level.

"If the right offer comes along I'll look to get back involved, but I'm not in any rush," said West.

"I'll have a little time off. I've been involved in rugby for 27 years and never had a break so at least I can do that now.

"I'd be open to an opportunity at any level, but I won't be jumping in with two feet."

Whoever Rotherham appoint will coach a team strengthened by the return of scrum-half Joe Bedford, who has left Leeds after failing to establish himself.

Rotherham have however lost another servant in fly-half Mike Whitehead, who joins Esher. Like West, Whitehead, who captained the side and could also play at full-back, served Rotherham with distinction.

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