Key’s Rotherham will have fear factor

THE challenge facing Andy Key, Rotherham Titans’ new head coach, is huge: How to revive the reputation and credibility of the club which finished bottom of the Championship last season and were fortunate to avoid relegation?

The mood at Clifton Lane following a league campaign producing only four wins and 22 points – more than 30 fewer than rivals Doncaster – was bleak but now optimism has returned in abundance.

Key, 20 years a player and coach at Leicester Tigers before guiding Leeds to promotion to the Premiership, has clearly restored confidence.

Only 12 players have been retained and 18 new faces signed.

Nic Rouse, ex-London Irish second row, has been brought in as forwards’ coach, and Key, 58, has also made other major appointments – Muaz Buaben and Matt Harland as the strength and conditioning coach and analyst respectively, both from Moseley.

So, with the 2017-18 Championship season starting in just seven weeks against Nottingham followed by the derby at Doncaster, how does Key,

right, assess his squad? “The mood among the players is superb and the atmosphere is brilliant.

“I’m really pleased with the quality and despite what happened last season, it wasn’t difficult to persuade players to come here. It’s a fully professional environment and they were told the support behind the scenes would reflect, to a certain degree, a Premiership side.

“We’ll be a physical side. We’ll be very fit and our play at the breakdown will be uncompromising.

“If there are shortfalls in our game we’ll make up for it by being fit and being a team that can play for 80 minutes and whatever the opposition throw at us, we’ll have the ability to cope. “We know exactly what will be expected of us, we might need to be patient at times, but we’ll be making sure the opposition know we’re out there. “The Championship is always tough and there are a lot of talented Premiership players now finding their way into the league, so if we can finish in midtable with heads held high we’d be pleased with that.” Rotherham’s preparations have been boosted by the Premiership experience of forwards’ coach Rouse – more than 50 appearances for Sale Sharks and London Irish where he was voted players’ player of the season in 2013. Rouse, 36, also played in the Championship for Plymouth and Nottingham.

He said: “The aim is to have a dominant pack that is feared in this league. The impressions are good so far and I can’t complain about the effort the boys are putting in.

“I’ve played many times against Rotherham and used to dread it because the pitch is narrow and you always got stick from the crowd, but since I’ve been here I’ve come to love it, the people are friendly.”

Before the Championship challenge commences, Rotherham have arranged pre-season games next month against Sheffield, Newcastle Falcons and Coventry.