Titans to go down part-time route after relegation

ROTHERHAM have vowed to bounce straight back up after their relegation to National One was confirmed.

Last Saturday’s 38-16 defeat to Jersey leaves the Titans 20 points adrift of London Scottish and staring at life outside of English rugby’s top two divisions for the first time in 22 years.

But chairman Nick Cragg is bullish about the future and insists the Titans will have the financial muscle to mount a serious promotion challenge next season, despite the loss of over £500,000 in central funding.

“We’ll be resourced to the extent where we can make a real go of it and our intention is to come straight back up,” he said.

Cragg confirmed that the Titans would move to a part-time model and that DoR Martin Jenkinson will take on a much more active rugby role.

While head coach Nic Rouse is rumoured to be returning to his former club Nottingham, assistant Ed Robinson, son of former England boss Andy, could stay on.

Cragg said: “Martin will be more hands-on than he was last year which will benefit the club greatly. He is putting together his coaching team and has interested parties who’d like to be involved in that. I think it’ll be a couple of weeks before that is all put together.

“We are doing well with our player recruitment. We’ve got seven players who’ve already shown great interest and we’ve no reason to believe they won’t follow that through.”

While south Yorkshire rivals Doncaster remained full-time when they were relegated to National One in 2013, Cragg says Rotherham won’t be going down that route.

“I do think going parttime will be of benefit to us in many ways. We can go back to basics and go back to a different sort of model.

“Look at Bedford Blues, they’re part-time, always have been, yet they’re third in the Championship. Richmond are part-time, too, and making a job of it.

“It’s a new challenge and we’re excited – it has been a bit of turgid carry on this season.”