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West pointing Titans in the right direction
Rotherham Titans 25 Bedford Blues 27
Rotherham coach Craig West is expected to strengthen his squad later this week as the Titans begin to adjust to the demands of the Championship, a competition which is proving to be the toughest Rotherham have played in since their days in the Premiership earlier this decade.
Thanks to a much-improved performance at Clifton Lane and results elsewhere, Roth have moved up the Championship table to eighth.
Today the first-team squad, whose confidence will have been restored by a ferociously-competitive display against Bedford, start preparing for the hardest away game of the season, at Exeter this Saturday.
The Titans were unlucky not to beat Bedford in a memorable contest, and, after total commitment from start to finish, to come away with only a losing bonus point shows how cruel rugby at this level can be.
At the end, Roth's players were shattered, not least fly-half Jonny West who produced what would be, nine times out of 10, a match-winning performance.
Rapidly maturing because he's appearing weekly in such a challenging league, West scored 20 points - five penalties, a drop-goal and a conversion - during an excellent kicking effort which was 100 per cent accurate.
Two of his kicks were among the best seen at Clifton Lane. His drop-goal on 57 minutes from 40 metres put Roth ahead 19-14 and then on 71 minutes hestruck a superb penalty from 50 metres which, thrillingly in this closest of games, increased Rotherham's lead to 22-20.
However, West's role in the drama was far from over.
On the stroke of 80 minutes, Rotherham's young fly-half kicked his fifth penalty, a score which many in the ground thought must have been good enough to clinch the four points.
Roth now led 25-20,but Bedford, who'd scored tries on 24 and 55 minutes and had been a dangerous side throughout, counter-attacked once again in injury time.
The raid proved to be decisive. Winger Luke Fielden threatened and then passed the ball to ex-Roth prop Sam Walsh who charged over to score the try. With the simple conversion going over, Bedford had stolen victory and four precious points on 82 minutes.
The climax to a fine match was devastating for Rotherham, and in the heat of the moment some blamed the referee who may, it's true, have made some questionable decisions.
But Roth were outscored by three tries to one.
While the Titans defence was a vast improvement on that seen at Nottingham a week earlier, the try by Bedford fly-half Miles Dorrian in the second half was the result of weak tackling, and until Roth develop dangerous ball-carriers in the forwards they may lose more games than they win.
The spirit they showed, though, was just what's required,exemplified by number eight Steve Swindall, the try-scorer, and flanker Tinus du Plessis who both stood out.
Titans: Whitehead, Feeley, Hunt, Buckley, Swatkins, West, Chivers, Conroy, Batty, Prescott, Challinor, Hayter, Kleeberger, Du Plessis, Swindall. Reps: Quigley, Jenkins, Kilbane, Burrows, Couldbeck, Farmer, Rhodes.
Bedford: Pritchard, Fielden, Dodge, Roberts, Davey, Dorrian, Chudley, Walsh, Richmond, Brown, Spencer, Rae, Goodman, Lewitt, Tupai.
Scorers: Roth: Try - Swindall; Conversion - West; Penalties - West 5; Drop-goal - West.
Bedford: Tries - Chudley, Dorrian, Walsh; Conversions - Pritchard 3; Penalties - Pritchard 2.
Referee: M Tutty (RFU).
What do you think? Add your comments below.
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Weather for Sheffield
Saturday 26 May 2012
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