Rotherham Titans: There is more to come
Sep
Rotherham flanker Dan Baines believes that Rotherham can succeed in their mission to become a genuine force in the RFU Championship.
The Titans have beaten Bristol and Bedford in their opening fixtures but have been self-critical in analysis of their performance levels ahead of a challenging trip to Worcester this weekend.
“We’re learning all the time and Andre has taught us a couple of new scrummaging tricks this week which we’ll put to use,” said Baines.
“Winning matches is obviously very pleasing but we’ve got to be hard on ourselves and say that certain things need to improve and we’re working hard to address that.
“There’s more to come from us because we are still getting familiar with how each other plays.”
Baines has stepped up two divisions to take his place in the Rotherham ranks and intends to keep his place in the back row.
“In all honesty, I didn’t expect to be in the team at the start of the season,” he said.
“It’s a big step for me to play in the Championship but hopefully the supporters will recognise that I take a lot of pride in playing for Rotherham.
“The noise and passion from the supporters really stood out on Sunday and I’m glad that the team were able to repay them for helping us through.”
There’s been no let-up in training this week with the players having endured a taxing Tuesday evening session having been given Monday to recover.
“We’re still doing 400 metre sprints and putting a lot of time into our scrummaging,” said Baines.
“It works for us and the coaches are hard on us because they know we will see the benefits if we work hard.”
Meanwhile, Head Coach Andre Bester has confirmed that Tongan hooker Ilaisa Ma'asi won't be joining the club despite having appeared in provisional squad lists.
