Rosslyn Park’s unbeaten run in National 1 came to an end at Clifton Lane on Saturday as they fell just short against fellow unbeaten side Rotherham Titans.
The hosts’ powerful pack proved too much for the West London outfit. Two late tries from Ewen Fenley proved just not enough to take the spoils in Yorkshire.
After a tense opening 20 minutes, it was the Titans who took the lead. They built phases in Park’s 22 and pushed the ball wide before Jackson Barling picked up and barrelled over the line. Park replied quickly, though. After applying pressure in the Rotherham 22, the backs moved the ball well before the in-form Luke Mehson strolled in to claim the try. Steff James converted.
But the hosts continued to show why they remain unbeaten. After a powerful scrum in midfield, they earned a penalty and kicked to within five metres of Park’s line. From the resulting lineout, they mauled over for their second try, Morgan Veness emerging from the bottom to claim the points. Lloyd Hayes added the extras to give them a five-point cushion.
Immediately after the Titans cleared from the restart, Park’s attacking flair came to life. From the lineout, the ball was worked wide to Charlie Walker, who stepped inside and played it beautifully to Ewen Fenley, then once more to skipper Arthur Ellis, who scored under the posts. Park regained a two-point lead as James added the extras.
But it was the Titans’ pack who had the last laugh of the half. After securing a penalty on 40 minutes, they kicked to the corner. A well-worked lineout saw Harry Newborn squeeze through a gap to claim five points.
The second half continued with the hosts maintaining momentum. After building pressure in Park’s half, Rotherham kicked to the visitors’ 22. Following several phases, a slick show-and-go on the blindside saw centre Travis Gordon glide through for the score. Hayes added the extras to stretch the lead to 10 points.
After regrouping, Park finally found their rhythm. Ewen Fenley spotted a gap after a penalty was awarded just inside the Titans’ half. A few phases later, he sniped through to score in the 66th minute, setting up a tense final 15.
After a cagey spell, Park were penalised for a high tackle just inside their own half. Hayes asked for the tee and slotted the kick to give the hosts a six-point cushion. But Park weren’t done yet. After building phases in midfield, Ed Volley ran a beautiful line before offloading to Fenley, who scored in the corner. James, unfortunately, couldn’t add the extras to steal a late win on the road.
Ultimately, Rotherham’s power proved too much for Park this time around. Although it was a valiant effort from the lads, two late tries from scrum-half Ewen Fenley just weren’t enough to claim the win in Yorkshire.
ROSSLYN PARK
Tries: Mehson (26’), Ellis (34’), Fenley (66’, 76’)
Conversions: James (26’, 34’, 66’)
Penalties: N/A
Yellow Cards: N/A
Team: Maurice Nwakor, Charlie Piper, Matt Woodward, Jake Cleet, Jordan Martin, Henry Spencer, Arthur Ellis (c), Harry Ledger, Ewen Fenley, Steff James, Benji Marfo, Sam Kennaugh, Tom Stanton, Charlie Walker, Luke Mehson
Replacements: Max Fraine, Ali Wade, Connor Kennison-Cook, Freddie Roddick, Ed Volley
ROTHERHAM TITANS
Tries: Barling (14’), Veness (32’), Newborn (40’), Gordon (54’)
Conversions: Hayes (32’, 54’)
Penalties: Hayes (74’)
Yellow Cards: N/A
Team: Toerien, Veness, Foster, Gascoigne, Gilson-Fox, Okafor, Newborn, Thomas, Bruzulier, Povey, Lacey, Lacey-Babalola, Gordon, Hayes, Barling, Shaw
Replacements: Cole, Mitchell, Valentine, Maguire, Broad
Up next: Rosslyn Park are back at The Rock this Saturday, 18th October, against Sedgley Tigers. 3:00 PM KO!