Sedgley Park Tigers 7 – Rotherham Titans 68
On Saturday, the Tigers welcomed league leaders Rotherham Titans to Park Lane, looking to gain valuable points in their fight against relegation.
Rotherham arrived in outstanding form, having won 21 of their 25 matches, and were on the verge of securing promotion to the Championship. The Tigers, meanwhile, have faced a difficult run of fixtures against the league’s top sides in recent weeks, combined with a growing injury list that has limited selection options. Despite this, confidence remained high following the bonus point earned away at Plymouth the previous week.
In front of a large crowd, including strong travelling support from Yorkshire, the Tigers started brightly. For the opening twenty minutes, Sedgley Park competed well, defending resolutely and playing with discipline and composure. Their early efforts were rewarded when a strong line break from a well-worked phase of play saw tight-head prop Beltus Nonleh power over from distance to score. Oli Glasse converted to give the Tigers a deserved 7–0 lead.
Rotherham responded quickly, however, with Isaac Haynes breaking through from a scrum to score, converting his own try to level the game at 7–7. The visitors began to assert their authority soon after, capitalising on a defensive error to allow winger Jason Barling to cross for their second try, before further scores from Isaac Shaw and Jean-Baptiste Bruzulier secured a bonus point before half-time. The Titans went into the break leading 28–7.
The Tigers’ forward pack competed strongly throughout the first half, standing up well against a powerful Rotherham unit. However, the visitors’ clinical finishing and attacking quality out wide proved decisive, with four first-half tries highlighting their cutting edge.
The second half saw Rotherham take full control of the contest. Tries from Robert Povey, Jason Barling, and John Okafor, along with a second for Isaac Shaw, extended their lead as they continued to apply relentless pressure. The Titans added further scores from the bench to complete a dominant performance, eventually running in ten tries in total.
Despite the scoreline, the Tigers continued to work hard and showed commitment throughout, but were unable to match the precision and power of the league leaders. The match finished 68–7, with Rotherham now just one point away from confirming promotion.
The result leaves the Tigers in a difficult position, with relegation now confirmed despite the effort shown throughout the season. A combination of injuries and narrow defeats in key matches has made it a challenging campaign, but the commitment of the squad has remained unquestionable.
Following the match, the club held its end-of-season presentations, with Beltus Nonleh awarded Coaches’ Player of the Year and Bob Birtwell named Players’ Player of the Year, both players having led from the front throughout the season.
The Tigers will now look to finish the campaign on a positive note as they travel to face Rams in their final fixture of the season next Saturday.
Cheers,
Steve Hazz