Only half an hour later these same fans were making a real racket at the southern end of the East stand. Fair play to them. Nice people. On the LI side of things The Fields seemed back to normal decibel levels this week, and was it my imagination or were there more small LI flags than usual in the East stand?

The West stand seemed somehow muted, cheering-wise, but the fact that the average age had almost doubled may explain it. There were an awful lot of new faces there, and quite a few vacant seats. The crowd was down on recent games at the Madstad, and no one seems sure of the exact attendance, although Ceefax had it at 5,600.

Before the game we knew little in detail about Rotherham, apart from everyone telling us to "Watch out." Their official web site told us that "Roth will certainly have to lift their game above the standard of last week in order to make a game of it. In any case there should be some good Rugby and the Irish crowd are entertaining." "We know that we shouldn't win, but we knew we shouldn't have won against Bristol, so anything can happen," said Rotherham chief executive Jim Kilfoyle. "We will be giving it our best shot. That's all I will be asking the players to do, and if they do, then I will be proud of them whatever the result."

Torbs_LI warned us."We ignore them all at our peril. Matt Oliver ex-LI is very strong in the centre alongside Umaga. Wood on the wing is very quick indeed. Raulini is keeping two very experienced scrum halves on the bench. Watch out for Spence at 6."

Torbs was proved right in all departments. The game was a bit of a scrap! It may not have been rugby of the highest quality, but it was certainly exciting. The Rotherham team was built around an extremely mobile back row, a powerful breaking scrum half and a 10, 12 and 13 who went hard all the time. Sadly for them however, although their powerful breaks often took them through the Irish gain line, there was always a mistake or an Irish tackle to spoil their fun. On another day they would doubtless have been better rewarded. Happily for us, Wood, the flier, did not get much of a look-in.

London Irish had a field day in the line-out, using short ones, long ones and every length in between, and winning countless Rotherham throws, too. Kennedy and Sheasby ruled the back end and Big Bob Casey took care of the front. In the second half Dawson snaffled the odd throw, too. It almost became something to remark on when Rotherham won their own throw-in!

Both back rows had hard work to do today, but the visitors had a lot of fun in the second half messing up the delivery from the pack to our scrum halves, Messrs Martens (Conor’s MOTM) and Barrett. It became painfully frequent for the ball to be scudding around on the ground behind the Irish No 9, with one or two red-clad backrowers thundering after it. Happily we usually managed to scrape it away to safety, but not before several heart attacks had been induced. Had I not been note-taking I guess I might have worked out what was going on!

Afterwards, Conor O’Shea said that their 7 (Spence) was outstanding – and he was.

If you wanted one word to describe our play today mine would be ‘disjointed.’ We won a lot of ball and turned over a lot of Rotherham ball, but tended to die with it or make a silly mistake. It may be a bit churlish to say such things of a team which has scored four tries, but although we won and convincingly in terms of the score, we flattered to deceive. Afterwards, Conor admitted as much, saying "Rotherham’s plays disrupt a lot of what you are trying to do. We played poorly in the last ten minutes."

Once the Doc had come off in the 24^th minute of the second half, our defence started looking considerably less organised, and his replacement next term must be becoming a major worry for management. Whatever the scoreline, Rotherham (especially in the first half and the last 15 minutes) were no push-over (apart from in the line out) and gave almost as good as they got. However, if they cannot improve their ball-winning in the formal phases they won’t get too far up the ladder. Their play in the loose was, by contrast, quite outstanding. Rotherham played the same tactic all game, driving up the close channels and centre, rather than spinning it wide. In the second half of the second half it started to work! At this point we were not looking too clever.

The more decipherable of my notes tell me that the game unfolded as follows.

Barry kicks off right and long, with the North stand at his back. The Rotherham 15 boots it back to their West 22 where Sackey takes it and belts off to the left. A big LI surge up the East touch gives Barry an easy drop at goal, and Mr Spreadbury had no hesitation in signalling it. 3-0 after one minute of play. There follows a tumultuous passage of play which sees Tofty knock on, Sheasby make a mark and then kick the ball straight to Schmid their No 8. We recover the ball only for Sackey to knock on in his turn. From the scrum, Matt Oliver makes a surging run through the middle, but again LI recover the ball and the Doc finds touch (yes, he kicked!) into the East stand on the Rotherham 10 yard line. The visitors mess up their possession by kicking out on the full. Following a scrum on the Roth 25, Gussie breaks up the middle, and Sheasby continues up the right wing, winning us a scrum. Both Brendan and Paul Sackey now drive up the middle, each getting scragged, Sackey by three defenders. However, Roth go over the top and bang on seven minutes Barry has a penalty in front of the posts. 6-0.

Hentie Martens comes off for a blood injury, Kevin Barrett replacing him.

Barry returns the kick-off from the Eastern side of the park to the Rotherham 22 in the West, and Mr Spreadbury takes the opportunity to address both sets of backs on the subject of offside. Rotherham now unveil their quite effective driving maul from the line out, and following a break by Spence, Preston hoofs the ball into the North East corner. Mr Everitt returns the compliment with interest after the ensuing line out and for the next five minutes we are treated to the spectacle of touch kick after touch kick. Aerial ping pong, with a fair bit of ping. Then in the fifteenth minute following a drive by Cook and Schmid, it all comes to an end with a penalty to Rotherham, converted by Pez, their fly half. 6-3.

Sackey and Gussie go after the kick-off at a rate of knots and Gussie nearly charges down the defensive Rotherham kick. Following the line out London Irish drive up the middle but lose the ball, which is kicked into touch. Sheasby drives from the back of the line out, gets held and Irish engage in swinging play from one side of the park to the other, looking for a way through. Tofty knocks on between the Rotherham 10 and 22. Sackey looks gutted. The scrum sees us penalised for not binding. The penalty gets to our West touchline on the 25. Next thing we know Pez kicks to the East touch where Horak marks and returns the ball to the half way line. Irish steal the line out, and the ball is grubbered through the line. Game on, but Sackey is held back by Spence as he chases. Another LI line out on the ½ way line sees a run by Casey and again much probing left and right by the backs. Now the Doc tries a grubber and is in turn obstructed. Again, Mr Spreadbury turns a blind eye.

Again we have several minutes of ping pong, followed by a left wing break by Horak in the 28^th minute, only stopped on the Roth 25. One minute later Nick Burrows breaks, his tackler is penalised and Barry’s kick goes to the left corner. The pack, with Horak helping, attempt to drive over, but eventually Naka Drotske breaks the impasse by picking up and diving over on the blind side. Barry misses. 11-3 at 30 minutes.

Mr Spreadbury now adds to his growing reputation as an entertainer by extensively testing the ball and eventually rejecting it.

The kick-off is wrestled into touch and somehow we get the throw in. We select our first short line out, and Big Bob drives up the left wing. We are penalised at the ensuing maul for diving in. Rauluni, the powerful Rotherham scrum half, takes a short one, breaks, is checked, breaks again and knocks on in our 25. Audible LI relief.

Our scrum. Barry boots to touch on half way, where Kennedy steals the opposition throw. Tofty breaks, hands on to Sackey to Drotske to Sheasby. Horak completes the move with a try under the posts on 36 minutes. Barry converts. 18-3. Wood is substituted on the Rotherham wing by Ewens.

Tofty returns the kick-off to a spot between the 10 and the 22. Rauluni tries a garryowen, which Martens fumbles badly – twice. Tofty clears. From the line out Rotherham break twice and well, and get a penalty in front of the posts for LI going over the top. The left footed Pez kicks it in his sleep. 40 minutes. 18-6.

The kick off somehow produces a Rotherham line out, which is taken by Danaher. The Doc takes it forward, play swings right and Big Bob has a go. Sackey makes a burst but is driven into touch. Bob slaps back the Rotherham throw, but Barry boots it straight out again. HALF TIME. The clock is reset to 40 minutes from 42. Guinness never tasted so good.

Worsley is substituted by Hatley during the interval. Following the post kick-off maul Barry is scragged but manages to put Sackey away. The LI ball-carrier goes into touch. Following a burst by Umaga, Pez chips for his right wing, Dixon, but too far ahead and the ball goes out. Lucky. He was clear. Minutes later another up and under sees Dixon taken by Horak, but the ball gets out and is grubber kicked to Tofty who misses touch. Matt Oliver now runs it back for Rotherham, who get a scrum in front of our posts.

Schmid picks up and drives. Various mauls and rucks later Spence makes some hard yards with his own drive, but is stopped just short. Another scrum to Rotherham just in front of the posts. They lose the ball and we enjoy more ping pong. Tofty to Oliver, and back to Sheasby, and Barry finds a safe touch.

In the 46^th minute Hardwick and Kirke come on for Halford and Drotske. Big Bob steals a line out but Martens runs into touch, both on the West side. Cook (4) leads the Rotherham break-out from the line out, and everyone runs around like headless chickens in the middle of the park for a few minutes, until we are saved by a knock on. John Cannon comes on for Umaga (12) in the 48^th minute.

An Everitt touch kick fails, is returned and suddenly LI are scampering away up the East touch with Beefy Hatley making a guest appearance at outer centre, He makes headway too, before being grounded. Our scrum half is awol, and the ball is hoofed through. We are saved by a penalty for hands on the deck in the ruck. Lucky old us.

We steal another line out. Casey makes another break. Our forwards seem to be all over the ball but it gets kicked through again and Tofty dies with it. Penalty. We then sacrifice a needless ten yards…….for talking back?

Pez has a go and although some in the crowd think the kick good, the touch judges do not.

In the 54^th minute Giacheri comes on for Kenworthy (5), and Delaney for Casey.

More ping pong, until Martens fails to get to the ball on the deck and Horak tidies up, breaks right and hands on to Everitt who kicks into the 22. Sharp LI follow-up ensures that Rotherham only make five yards with the return. Danaher is now blood substituted by Dawson (56 minutes) and never reappears. Pick and go led by Gussie sees Horak take a knock but he stays on. Sheasby takes from the back of yet another scrum and drives. Everyone drives. It is clearly the thing to do. Suddenly, Martens makes it look easy by simply bending, picking up the ball and strolling over under the posts from a range of three feet. Conversion by Everitt. 60 minutes. 25-6.

Despite this most satisfying scoreline, my notes say we are starting to look a bit loose. Harrison comes on for the dangerous Rauluni. It looks like Rotherham are saving some of their stars for another day.

The kick off is followed by a strong Rotherham surge up the middle which gets them a penalty. This is kicked to the South East corner. Dawson steals the line out, and Everitt clears. Geoff Appleford comes on for the Doc (64^th minute.) We steal this line out too, but give away a scrum. We have advantage and ball. Horak and Sackey both have a go, but meet tackles. Penalty for offside enables Barry to punt for the North East corner where Sackey dives in for a post line-out try, to the delight of the nearby Drum Corps. Gravil comes on for Lloyd (1). Barry fails to convert. 68 minutes. 30-6.

We break up the West touch from the kick-off, Sheasby, Gustard, Appleford and Horak handling. Horak is looking for support and the cover puts him in touch between the ½ way and the 10. Now it is their turn. Rotherham return to the LI half up the East side, and Matt Oliver spoils his return by outstripping the absent LI wing defence and scoring wide out. Pez misses the conversion. 73 minutes. 30-11. What makes me say that I have seen identical tries scored in that spot in other games this season – in the last ten minutes?

Kevin Barrett substitutes Hentie Martens for real.74 minutes.

Ping pong and line outs ensue, but we are now patting the ball back rather than securing it from the line out. Who’d be a scrum half?

Rotherham break from a scrum but are called back. Whew! We are looking ragged. Appleford gets a good intercept but knocks on. Rotherham make a big break up the East but knock on. Harrison (9) jumps Barrett and spoils our possession. Rotherham break up the middle but knock on. Barry clears superbly. Match over. 81.58 minutes. .

Apart from getting their 6 and 7 the wrong way round, Hook Royal got their team selection right when he posted:- 15 Jon Benson, 14 Stuart Dixon, 13 Matt Oliver, 12 Mike Umaga, 11 Michael Wood, 10 Ramiro Pez, 9 Jacob Rauluni, 8 Mike Schmid, 7 Leon Greef, 6 Neil Spence, 5 Glenn Kenworthy, 4 Dan Cook, 3 Colin Noon, 2 Harry Toews, 1 Nick Lloyd.

London Irish: 15. Mark Mapletoft*; 14. Paul Sackey; 13. Nick Burrows; 12. Brendan Venter*; 11. Michael Horak*; 10. Barry Everitt; 9. Hentie Martens; 1. Mike Worsley; 2. Naka Drotske*; 3. Simon Halford; 4. Bob Casey*; 5. Nick Kennedy; 6. Paul Gustard (Captain); 7. Declan Danaher; 8.Chris Sheasby*.

16. Kevin Barrett; 17. Geoff Appleford*; 18. Kieron Dawson*; 19. Richard Kirke; 20. Glenn Delaney; 21. Neal Hatley; 22. Rob Hardwick*.

Referee: Tony Spreadbury

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