Jenkinson relishing 40th campaign at Titans
WHEN Rotherham kick off their first season at level three for nearly two decades at home to Old Elthamians on September 1, it will mark Martin Jenkinson’s 40th anniversary with the club.
A no-nonsense forward who would play anywhere he was asked in a maroon jersey until his retirement in 1991, Jenkinson is relishing the campaign ahead even though local derbies against Yorkshire Carnegie and Doncaster are missing from the fixture list.
Jenkinson, right, said: “We are looking to the new season with a lot of enthusiasm and will enjoy going to a lot of new places and, in the case of Moseley, Esher and Plymouth, renewing old acquaintances.
“We come from an environment where we used to play a club home one year and then away the following year so over a two-year cycle you could play 60-odd clubs. In the Championship, with no B&I Cup any more, it’s too insular.”
Having taken a back seat last season, the 57-year-old rugby director will be much more hands-on, helping guide a young coaching team that includes current player Joe Barker, who steps up to head coach following Nic Rouse’s departure for London Scottish, Carnegie lock Matt Smith (forwards) and Christian Head (assistant).
Jenkinson believes that promoting Barker from within will serve them well, and sees similarities with Lee Blackett, who steered Titans to back-to-back Championship semi-finals before landing a job with Wasps.
“The big advantage with Lee, who was as good as gold for us, was that he’d had two spells with us, so he already knew the nature of the beast. Joe has been with us three years and knows what the place is all about too. “Joe is an intelligent young man who has a lot of passion and a lot of energy. He has gone through the coaching process, coaching the likes of Queen Elizabeth Grammar School, and Castleford and is a steady hand on the tiller.” Relegation from the Championship was a painful chapter in the club’s history, but Jenkinson insists everyone is looking forward not back.
That Rotherham have a future, at whatever level, is due in no small part to the financial support of Jenkinson and chairman Nick Cragg, who put their hands in their pockets to save the club from extinction in 2004 when previous owner Mike Yarlett pulled the plug on his investment.
And Jenkinson says that never-say-die spirit lives on as they prepare to tackle new challenges. “As always, we’ll be determined and give it our best shot.”