Nine players out in Rotherham Titans crisis

Centre Joe Barker will miss the next six weeks because of a badly damaged finger and full back or fly half Charlie Foley is out for four weeks having hurt a shoulder.

Charlie’s brother, Ben, has been banned for his red card following a dangerous tackle last Saturday during the British and Irish Cup game against London Welsh.

Foley will miss tomorrow’s league game and next week’s at Ealing Trailfinders and then the home match against Jersey Reds.

Rotherham’s chances of beating Pirates have also been hit seriously with the confirmation that the six dual-registered players from Premiership club Gloucester have been called back so fly half Lloyd Evans and forwards Dan Thomas, Josh McNulty, Joe Batley and Freddie Clarke will be missing from a game that the Titans, 10th in the Championship, need to win.

But on a brighter note, four players, all called Will, are available and are in the squad for tomorrow’s match.

Centre and skipper Will Owen returns as do fly half Will Robinson, winger Will Thomas and full back Will Goodwin.

The pack will also be strengthened by the come-back of back row forward Buster Lawrence who has recovered from an ankle injury that forced him to miss four games.

Cornish Pirates are fourth in the Championship, having won three league games, drawn one and lost two.

Their leading try scorers are forward Tom Duncan and wing or full back Matt Evans.

Titans (from): Goodwin, Hayes, Owen, Hudson, Robinson, Thomas, Henry, Dudman, Tom Williams, Toby Williams, Cole, Graham, Maddison, Rees, Hicks, Curry, Lawrence, Grange, Sanderson, MacDonald, Tresidder, Tyas, Salmon,Herriott, Oliver.