By Andy Brown
December 31 2006

I was a little bit surprised at what I found when I arrived at Clifton Lane for the first time. Never having been there before, and knowing Rotherham’s recent history (I refuse to call them “Earth” Titans – that’s just a silly marketing thing that doesn’t wash with me at all)...

... I sort of expected a small, amicable but well put together ground that would – one day – be capable of upgrade and potential emergence into the Premiership. Small and amicable is certainly right. A warm welcome and good company and conversation was evident everywhere as one has come to expect from rugby folk. But the ground and the conditions conspired to make this perhaps not the best value ten quid I’ve ever spent. Having arrived at around 1pm there was still a fair array of space available to stand and watch the match, but after conversation, beer and toilet visit I was suddenly confronted with the sight of the backs of many tall heads and hardly any of the pitch. Those of us under six feet tall were really struggling to see the game – perhaps there should be a rule at ground like this where us shorties can press to the front; a sign saying “you have to fit under here to be allowed next to the railings” ?!?

 

Anyway, the conditions were also something of a factor making the experience not the best. The wind couldn’t make it’s mind up as to whether to blow fiercely or not, whether to bring rain with it or not, and whether to blow from one direction or another. Couple that with the sight of a pitch that could most charitably be described as “a bit wet and muddy” and you have a classic recipe for a December mud-bath game. “Ten man rugby today” seemed to be going through everyone’s minds.

 

And for me, that’s precisely where Leeds lost it. During the game, time and time again, the forwards appeared to try to drive the attack through the Rotherham forwards, despite being second best in that department all afternoon. Rotherham were excellent at slowing ruck ball, and even better at pushing mauls and scrums backwards. The regulation three points were given away by Leeds at the start of the game (stupidly, since it was a reversal of a penalty against Roth after a Leeds player threw a punch), only to get back into it later with two Leigh Hinton penalties – one missed, the other converted; 3-3. Then Roth attack and are awarded a penalty try, with Jon Dunbar having a ten minute rest at the 29 minute mark.

 

Leeds persisted with the ten man tactic and got rewards of sorts – another Leigh Hinton penalty brought the scores to 10-6. Then Leeds started to expand out wide, and looked dangerous from the outset. Roth’s defence was forced to infringe to keep the waves of attack out, and at 10-9 with a few minutes to go, it was looking more positive.

 

Much more positive in fact, when a lineout taken from the top was spread wide straight away. A switch from outside to in created the gap that allowed our boy Martin Schusterman in under the posts.  From the restart a similar move was worked and it looked as though Leeds would go into the interval with a healthy two try cushion, as Andy Tuilagi crashed through with a man to beat and three more Tykes outside him. The ball never made it to the line however, and that was the end of that for the half. 10-16, but optimism from me – I felt that we had the back of it broken, and we might actually see four tries for Leeds after all!

 

Rotherham clearly didn’t panic though, and despite the introduction of Andre Snyman at half time for Leeds, never baulked at the task in front of them. Slowly, surely and progressively they worked their game plan, got their kicker within range and drew penalties to level the scores at 16-16. Leeds took to trying the narrow channels again and were repeatedly beaten back. A further exchange of penalties with around 15 minutes to go brought it to 19-19, and it seemed as if the Rotherham crowd were now spurred on by a sudden wave of mass belief. The crowd got noisy. The Rotherham team bossed the play and Leeds went back into their shell, desperately defending the 22 metre area without really gaining any hope of getting further forward. From the waves of optimism I felt at half time, and the feeling of the job more than half done, I could see this one slipping away. And it duly did with the final score of the match coming from another Rotherham penalty in front of the posts.  A restart was taken, and Leeds were able to keep the ball in play long enough to attempt to get back down the field for some kind of score, but the muddy ball slipped from their hands and the resulting halt in play saw time called.  22-19 to an ecstatic home team.

 

Rotherham deserved this victory for dogged determination, excellent forward play and the coaching team needs special praise for their shrewd tactics and tenacity in bringing it to bear on what looked at one stage to be a vastly superior Leeds side.

 

Leeds, by contrast should not be too downhearted. We all knew that the winning run couldn’t go on for ever (and in fact it would’ve been counter-productive in my view if it had), and on the day their backs were clearly the most dangerous for miles around. The forwards had something of an off day (I’ve never seen them pushed around so vehemently as today – even during the Premiership years) but they too will come right.

 

Of concern, though, is that – as far as I could see past the backs of several rain-soaked heads – there wasn’t a Premiership team playing on that pitch today, in either colours. We are enjoying being at the top end of ND1 this season, but if promotion is to be a reality, and we are to remain in the top rank, then performances such as this will surely have to be a thing of the past…

 

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