Lewis full of pride for his Titans in bid for promotion
LOSING just one game all season would usually be more than enough to finish first, but Rotherham Titans can count themselves unfortunate to be in the same division as Leeds Tykes.
Despite a seven-match win streak to start the season, head coach Gary Pearce parted ways with Rotherham in October via ‘mutual consent’ due to player unrest.
Former Huddersfield boss Gareth Lewis was appointed as Pearce’s successor and alongside rugby consultant Harvey Biljon, the former director of rugby at Jersey Reds, the pair have led Rotherham to a formidable campaign that had seen them lose just once heading into this weekend.
Lewis told The Rugby Paper: “We are proud of our record and how we’ve performed this season. It goes way beyond when Harvey and I arrived, this goes back to the previous season.
“We’re proud of our record at home and on the road this year. Typically if a club loses only one game all season, you’d expect them to be in the mix for promotion and it remains that way. Fair play to Leeds who have had an unbelievable season as well.
“We expected to be in the mix before the start of the season. Rotherham as a club have dropped down the RFU pyramid in recent years, but has always had ambition to return at the earliest opportunity. The squad that was assembled in the off-season is very talented and an experienced squad which we’re baring the fruits of. We’re performing exceptionally well and we’re proud of where we are in the league.”
Last weekend saw Rotherham beat Hull 47-29 in a dominant victory and Lewis was pleased with how his side managed their mid-table opposition.
He added: “We were really pleased with the result and in particular the performance. Hull made it very difficult for us in the first half, moving
the ball at pace and threatened our defensive line on a number of occasions. Generally we held firm, regrouped at half time and the opening 20 minutes of the second half we really hit our straps and scored some excellent tries.”
Biljon, 46, sprang a surprise in October when he joined Rotherham in a short-term capacity, but the South African former Wasps scrum-half remains at Clifton Lane months later.
Lewis is loving the wisdom he’s obtained from last year’s Championship winner and the duo are thriving in Rotherham’s hospitable environment.
“Harvey and I only joined in October and were welcomed immediately by everyone within the club; the players, backroom staff and the Rotherham faithful,” said Lewis.
“We’ve put our own stamp on things and on a personal level it’s been great to work with Harvey, who has great experience in the game and only recently won the Championship with Jersey. The club has benefitted from him and I’ve learned a lot.”
Creating a firing attack with multiple threats was high on Lewis’ agenda when coming in which he feels he’s now achieved.
He said: “As a collective they have performed superbly well. Up front we’ve been very dominant in large parts of the season with our scrum and line out. We’ve got excellent leadership and experience in those areas which has allowed us to impose ourselves on games. Behind the scrum, backs have improved throughout the season dramatically and we now possess a real cutting edge in our backline to build an all-court game.”