Titans v Saracens - Match Report

By Roth Admin
November 2 2003

Before kick off, there was tangible expectation among the Roth faithful that they were about to witness a Titans victory. A new head coach in place, Argentinean International Bernardo Stortoni making his home debut and the return of Phil Jones after injury, all added to the expectation levels.

In addition the visitors Saracens, who were badly mauled at home by London Wasps last week were badly affected by World Cup call-ups and a crippling injury list. They came it to the game on the back of 3 consecutive defeats.

The match beforehand had been called a relegation battle and it showed. Both teams struggled to display any continuity and a catalogue of endless errors made for a dour game of rugby. Defences dominated for the most part and an exchange of penalties from the respective fly half’s made the half time score 9-6 to the visitors. Rotherham had had the better of the 1st half and should have gone in at the break ahead. But a combination of some disappointing kicks at goal and poor decision making meant they did not. The decision not to take the easy 3 points, but to kick for the corner on the stroke of half time being the most glaring. The penalty came about as a result of Saracens lock forward Kris Chesney’s persistent foul play, which resulted in him being sin-binned.

The 2nd half continued in the same vein as Jones and Goode slotted over a couple of penalties each, to make the score 15-12 to Saracens. The game now was up for grabs and it just needed someone with a little spark to make the difference. That man arrived on the hour mark, unfortunately for Rotherham it turned out to be Saracens fly half Andy Goode. He spotted a gap in the Rotherham defence and made a 40 metre break. He was stopped just short of the try line, but quick ball and quicker support enabled Saracens captain Taine Randell to go over for the only try of the game. The try was converted and 6 minutes later Goode showed how important a reliable kicker is in the Premiership, when claiming his sixth penalty of the game.

Rotherham as usual battled on to the very end, but lacked a cutting edge to break through a resilient Saracens defence. The final score was Rotherham 12 – Saracens 25.

After this performance against a poor Saracens side, the future is not looking promising for the Titans. Once again the line outs were a worry, particularly after Chris Johnson left the field. The scrum however is more of a worry, as the season unfolds this is one area where Rotherham are going backwards. But what must be a major concern to the coaching staff and supporters, is the lack of a cutting edge in the backs. Seldom do they look like penetrating the defences of these organised Premiership teams.

Yes, it’s going to be a long winter for all concerned with Rotherham Titans and the expectation levels of the fans have just taken their 8th beating.