Rotherham Titans and Leeds Tykes near the end game ... who will blink first?

Leeds Tykes and Rotherham Titans in action last week. Pictures by Kerrie Beddows

Rotherham Titans hope that is the case as the race with Leeds Tykes for promotion approaches its end game.

Even though Rotherham collected five league points for defeating their previously unbeaten Yorkshirie rivals last weekend, Leeds had the consolation of two of their own for scoring four tries and losing by less than seven.

Had Lloyd Hayes managed to land a conversion attempt in a difficult wind at the death, Leeds would have gone home with only one point.

Rotherham Titans' John Okafor goes in for the final try against Leeds Tykes

As it is, they hold a two-point lead going into the final three matches.

Realistically, Rotherham need to win all their three and hope Leeds lose one in order to stand a chance of overhauling them.

On paper, Titans’ run-in is more straight-forward.

After a tricky trip up to Dore Moor to play Sheffield Tigers next Saturday, they’ll be expected to beat Preston and Billingham, both in the bottom four.

Compare that to Leeds.

They host Tynedale – nobody’s pushovers – and then have to go to improving Fylde before finishing against another form team in Sheffield RUFC.

It’s not inconceivable Leeds could drop one or two bonus points in that little run.

At the same time, this is a Leeds side that had won all its 22 matches up to last weekend and unless some seeds of doubt have been sewn by their dip here, they’ll back themselves to finish the job.

Titans’ own winning run now stands at 12. What they must do now is try and collect 15 points from Tigers, Preston and Billingham and ask Leeds the question.

“I’m excited about where we can go but I’m not going to get focused on a race. Let’s leave Leeds to worry about that,” says Titans’ rugby consultant Harvey Biljon.

Leeds head coach Mike Aspinall admits: “I’m not going to lie, I was hoping we could just enjoy our last game against Sheffield but it might be more intense than we thought.”

STILL TO PLAY

Rotherham

Apr 6 Sheffield Tigers A

Apr 13 Preston G H

Apr 27 Billingham A

Leeds

Apr 6 Tynedale H

Apr 13 Fylde A

Apr 27 Sheffield H