Match Report - Rotherham 30 Albion 25

After the poor start to their campaign, Albion put in a really good performance but, controversially, denied a win.

Weather - Overcast, dry, with a slight breeze across the pitch. Reports suggested rain would hold off until 6pm.

A handful of supporters made the long trip for fixture which last season Rotherham dominated from the off. Considering the long list of injuries and recent form a similar result is expected

Rotherham came out in a fancy new home strip with Albion in white and cherry.

Rotherham started the game, kicking off towards the clubhouse.

It wasn’t long before Rotherham had an early opportunity with a lineout 7m from Albion’s line. They went for a catch and drive which Albion manage to hold but left a gap in the defensive line which Rotherham exploited to score under the posts. The conversion made it 7-0 after just three minutes. It looked like it might be a long afternoon for Albion.

Following the restart Rotherham knocked on just inside their own half. This did not go Rotherham’s way as a free kick is awarded. A quick tap and the Rotherham defence was caught napping with Albion passing sharply along the line, working an overlap to allowing Josh Davies to carry the ball back beneath the sticks – a simple conversion and it was 7 apiece.

The second of Rotherham’s restarts went the same way as the first with Rotherham knocking on just inside their own half. This time the scrum yielded a penalty to Albion – although some concern as a little scuffle broke out.  After things settled, Rayner added to the score with a well taken kick. 7-10 and Albion had their noses in front with 10 minutes on the clock.

Play resumed with Rotherham sending the ball deep into Albion territory which they initially looked to play 10m from their own try line. Commonsense then prevailed and it was kicked clear. Rotherham gathered, but their forward progress was halted by another handling error

From the kick off Albion returned the ball to Rotherham who worked it up the field, but a forward pass, gave an opportunity for Albion to build an impressive attack from halfway. This brought them to within 10m of  Rotherham’s line but this time Albion threw a forward pass to bring the move to an end.

Rotherham cleared their lines and as Albion attacked again they turned the ball over in midfield. Sturdy defence work held up Rotherham’s attack. However, Albion eventually gave away a penalty which was kicked to touch just inside Albion’s 22.

From the lineout Rotherham started passing the ball about but Albion put up a solid defence and a wayward pass allowed Albion to intercept and kick clear. Further relief was provided when Rotherham failed to gather the ball and knocked on, but Albion failed to capitalise as they gave away a penalty.

Rotherham’s kick to the sidelines meant more pressure to absorb as Rotherham went for the same catch and drive ploy that earned them their first score. Again Albion stopped the maul and Rotherham gave away a penalty allowing Albion to find touch on halfway.

A good lineout from Albion served as a base for Albion to work their way up the pitch putting together some good phases of play. Ulitmately, this broke down with a poor pass, but the referee called play back for a penalty 20m in front of the posts – which was dispatched to put the score to 7-13 halfway through the first period.

Rotherham now seemed uncertain as they again offered up the ball, but Albion knocked on, wasting the opportunity. A slipped binding gave Rotherham a penalty and another round of scuffles ensued as it became apparent that Rotherham were targeting their former team-mate Ted Stagg.

Rotherham found touch just outside Albion’s 22, winning it and looked to find the gaps in Albion’s defence. But the passing again let them down - almost giving Jake Henry an opportunity to break down the line, but Rotherham got to him before he could make much progress forcing him into touch.

Half an hour in and Rotherham’s lineout started to misfire as they knocked down straight into touch, giving Albion the impetus 15m inside the Rotherham half. Another secure lineout and Albion were again in a position to press forward with some slick passing, but were caught in possession, turning over the ball and allowing Rotherham to run it in from inside their own half. An excellently taken conversion from the touchline put Rotherham a point ahead and Albion’s hard work  was cancelled out in one fell swoop.

Straight from the kick off, Rotherham dropped the ball 25m in front of the post. Unfortunately Albion’s scrum started to falter, not only losing a good opportunity, but allowing Rotherham to carry the ball back to halfway. The defence held and forced another handling error from Rotherham which was gathered up releasing Ben Woods to make a rare Albion break. From this Albion gained a penalty 30m out.  Another successful kick from Lawrence Rayner and the lead was restored, 14-16.

A short period of ballistics ended with a lineout to Albion just inside their own half. The lineout itself was good but the ball was spilled forward. From the scrum, Rotherham won a free kick. Quickly taken, they attacked but their passing let them down. Unfortunately, Albion were unable to gather the ball cleanly and another scrum was awarded to Rotherham.

As the half drew to a conclusion, both sides saw short periods of possession broken down by knock ons – but Albion made the better gains and won a penalty in a good position. However, there was a worrying moment as Rayner lay prostrate on the ground. After some treatment he slowly picked himself up and took his time to slot the kick 14-19.

With everyone expecting the half time whistle, Rotherham restarted, but lost centre Jordan Davies for 10mins for taking out an Albion player in the air. Albion were unable to add to their score before a knock on ended the half.

Half time and the overall impression was that Albion were applying good pressure with or without the ball in open play. Lineouts were good and defence was okay if a little vulnerable to breaks. Rotherham seemed out of sorts and were guilty of giving away the ball either through knock-ons or through poor passing. Albion’s scrum, whilst starting well was clearly beginning to struggle towards the end of the half.

The second half continued where the first left off with the first exchanges ending with a knock-on. This gave Albion a scrum just inside their half, but this collapsed and at was a fair while before the referee decided that Rotherham had turned it through 90.

Again, Albion’s scrum was found wanting at the second attempt and Rotherham took a quick tap to launch a concerted attack upon Albion’s lines. Good tackling and the line held eventually turning the ball over and clearing.

Five minutes into the second half, and halfway through the period of advantage, Albion had had little possession of worth. Then, a squall signals a change in the weather.

Shortly after, Albion were awarded a scrum in midfield as an inevitable handling error led to a knock-on. Albion did well at this one, and the backs worked hard to move the ball down the field, but again this broke down 18m from Rotherham’s line. This time Rotherham’s scrum offended and Albion have a simple penalty. 14-22 and a clear score ahead.

Rotherham restarted and managed to gather the ball, but it goes loose. Albion missed the chance to collect up the free ball and knock-on.

Now back at full strength, Rotherham won a penalty at the scrum and went on the offensive with a quick tap. Albion defended well and broke up the move, but the referee was called back to an incident involving Ted Stagg who was sentenced to a visit to the sin bin for his misdemeanours.

With the wind now beginning to pick up Jordan Davies kicked a difficult penalty to bring the score to 17-22.

The restart and subsequent exchanges saw Rotherham targeting the right-hand side of Albion’s defense, eventually finding touch inside the 22.

Albion’s ball and the lineout was taken well. A maul formed and as Albion sought to drive, a most bizarre and contentious incident occurred as a Rotherham player attempted to climb over the top and fell off in a most ungainly manner. How the Referee and his assistant deemed this to be the fault on Tom Fidler was a mystery but a yellow card meant Albion were now down to 13 and the lead cut further as the penalty was converted 20-22.

The restart saw Albion being gifted a scoring opportunity as Rotherham were penalised for crossing as they gathered the ball. Rayner again put it over and the margin restored. 20-25

Rotherham again followed up the restart and their pressure earned them a lineout as the ball went into touch. However, the throw was ruled not straight and Albion were awarded a scrum - but then they take too long and the referee awarded a free kick which was quickly taken. To Albion’s credit, they reacted to the situation and put in some hefty tackles to absorb the pressure, eventually winning the ball, kicking far upfield and all but winning the race to catch up with the ball.

30m from Rotherham’s line and Albion had a lineout, but this was lost and Rotherham got the chance to build up the pressure whilst they still held the 2 man advantage. Throughout, Albion tackled ferociously and consistently, but eventually the pressure told and Rotherham found their way into the corner. Another excellent conversion and Rotherham the lead changed – 27-25 with 28 minutes on the clock.

Albion were restored to 14 as Matavesi came on in place of Stagg, but five more minutes with the deficiency was being exploited by Rotherham as they sought to pin Albion in the corner and apply pressure. Albion steadfastly maintained the defense, but shortly after Fidler’s return they gave away a penalty allowing Rotherham to extend their lead with 6 minutes plus injury time to go. 30-25.

The restart saw Albion awarded a penalty which they put into touch in front of the few travelling supporters. Again the lineout was won but the ball was knocked-on as it was presented to the backs and another opportunity went begging.

Another penalty against Albion at the scrum and Rotherham cleared the ball to halfway. Winning their lineout, Rotherham seemed happy to put the ball deep into Albion’s territory, as Albion had no option but to carry the ball out, however this proved to be too much and the ball was inevitably knocked-on.

As the game drew to a close it looked as if Albion were to be denied a losing point as Rotherham were awarded a penalty from about 40m out. Huge relief as the kick fell short, McKinney’s sole miss of the day, and Albion made one last ditch effort to run it out from their own line only to be pulled up for a forward pass.

Final Score 30-25. (one bonus point)

After the reportedly woeful display at Doncaster and last week’s efforts, Albion played very attractive rugby and defensively played out of the skins particularly when reduced to 13. Most importantly they looked like a team rather than a group of individuals.

Work is still needed in the scrums and as the confidence of the offensive line needs to develop.

For much of the game Albion had the upper hand and was playing the better rugby, but the decision to send Tom Fidler to the sidelines had a profound effect and probably took too much out of the rest to allow them to pull the game back.

Other positives -The new addition (Marc Koteczky) impressed and looks to be a splendid acquisition and, thankfully, no injuries.

Players selected by JS for their performance – Ben Woods and Sam Simmonds