“What a season!” was Director of Rugby Tim Fourie’s reaction after the game. “Our first aim was to stay in this division and we have achieved that. Our second was to climb away from the dogfight, which we didn’t achieve; we lost too many tight games to do that. But ultimately we have to celebrate the fact that a club like this is still in National Division One, which is a huge achievement.”

As for the game itself, backs coach Andy Northey said: “For once we kept the pressure on a team and broke them down.

“Although Rotherham didn’t have anything to play for they went hard the first 40 minutes and we had to absorb a lot of pressure. But then we broke them down; they didn’t give us anything, we earned the win and we ultimately earned the right to be in this division next season.”

A nervy opening quarter saw the Tigers take the lead through a Phil Jones penalty after four minutes. Then on 10 minutes they were handed the man advantage when Titans’ lock Louis McGowan was sin-binned and the Tigers took full advantage.

They built up momentum towards the visitors’ try line and from a ruck 10 metres out Chris Leck sent Rotherham-bound wing Chris Briers (who finished the Tigers top try scorer with 14) down the right-hand touchline and over Titans’ line for the first try of the game; Jones’ conversion made it 10-0.

However, once McGowan returned the Titans looked to stretch the Tigers’ and were dangerous whenever the ball went along the backline.

Centre Jamie Blackwood looked likeliest to score but it was fullback Errie Claassens who found himself on the end of one such passing move to go over on the left.
For the rest of the half the Titans forced the pace and play, with the Tigers hanging on defensively.

However, the break benefited the home side the most and the 10 minutes following the restart decided the outcome of the game with the Tigers running in three more touchdowns.

Following the return kick from the opening kick-off the Tigers drove hard and Skurr fed Briers but he was adjudged to have dropped the ball in the act of touching down between the Titans’ posts.

But the Tigers’ won the resulting five-metre scrum and the ball was fed along the line to Briers and he made sure this time, touching down on the right within two minutes of the second half getting under way.

Just four minutes later possession won at a scrum 30 metres from the Rotherham line was used well and this time flanker Adam Newton popped up on the right wing to cross by the corner flag. Jones’ boot added the extras and pushed the score onto 22-5.

The game was then put beyond doubt with the fourth and bonus-point try two minutes later. Burrell, Jonny Roddam, Petrus Du Plessis and Newton worked the ball downfield where Jones drew his tackler before slipping a finely weighted inside pass to Jon Skurr, and the Tigers’ other Rotherham-bound player crossed by the posts to give Jones the easiest of conversions to make it 29-5.

With a decent kicking game from both Jones and Matt Riley along with a succession of unforced errors keeping the Titans at bay, the Tigers looked to run in more tries.

The next one arrived on 56 minutes when Jan Van DeVenter and Newton sent Briers haring down the right-hand tramlines yet again, only this time he turned provider, slipping a pass to the on-rushing Luther Burrell who barged his way over and Jones added the conversion.

With four minutes left further Tigers’ pressure pinned the visitors to within 10 metres of their own line where a knock-on gifted the Tigers possession and Jones beguiled his markers with a quick show-an-go before gliding over to make it 41-5.

The last few minutes saw the Titans regain some composure and begin to threaten again and winger Geoff Griffiths crossed on the right before goaling his own try.

They may have lost this one but the Titans saw at first hand just what an impact their two Tigers signings Briers and Skurr can make, as they rounded off their time at Park Lane by helping their former team-mates survive for another season.

For the Tigers finding adequate replacements will go a long way to deciding their fate next season.

SEDGLEY TIGERS: Riley, Van DeVenter, Craig, Burrell, Briers (T.Albinson 73), Jones, Leck (J.Albinson 73), Halsall (Gazzola 64), Roddam (Roberts 70), Du Plessis, Fourie (Norris 66), Townson, Newton (Crous 55), Ponton, Skurr.
Replacements not used: Birchall.
Tries: Briers (2), Newton, Skurr, Burrell and Jones.
Conversions: Jones 4.
Penalties: Jones 1.

ROTHERHAM TITANS: Claassens, Feeley, Blackwood (Grissing 53), Lawson, Griffiths, Allen, Chivers (Hallam 53), Corsar (Kilbane 66), Conroy (Corrigan 75), Boulton, Smith (Maslanyk 60), McGowan, Jacobsz, Cochrane (Dunlop 41), Burrows (Wade 53).
Tries: Claassens and Griffiths.
Conversions: Griffiths 1.
Yellow card: McGowan, 8 minutes.