Titans trip tough for Tykes
Rotherham Titans proved too strong on home turf, overcoming a spirited Leeds Tykes side 52–12 in a dominant display.
Rotherham were quick out of the blocks, scoring with their first visit to the Leeds 22. Quick hands sent fly-half Rob Povey powering over for the opening try. Leeds responded well when winger Sam Taylor sprinted down the wing to score, with Eddie Crossland converting to edge the visitors 5–7 in front.
The Titans hit back, driving over from close range with Morgan Veness claiming the score, which Richard Hayes converted. The home side extended their lead on the half-hour mark when Curran Maguire finished under the posts, Hayes adding the extras for a 19–7 half-time lead.
Rotherham turned the screw after the break, with John Okafor crossing for a converted try. Leeds spent much of the second half defending. Although they made occasional trips into the South Yorkshire side’s 22, the Tykes were unable to convert territory into points. Four more converted tries from Hayes, Luke Cole, Isaak Shaw and Will Metcalf put the result beyond doubt, the latter coming from a length-of-the-field interception as Leeds pushed hard to break through the Titans’ defence.
Leeds rallied late on, earning a series of penalties deep in Rotherham territory, and had the final say when skipper Adam Brown crossed for a consolation try.
Speaking after the match, Director of Rugby Pete Seabourne said: “In the last two weeks we have, in my opinion, played two of the top four teams in the league. For forty minutes we really pushed and tested Rotherham. A couple of individual errors cost us as we were 5-7 up a quarter of the way through the match. In the second half we got tired, as we did a lot of defending and chasing the game, but we showed we can compete at this level. We are moving forward.”
