Rotherham Titans promoted: Harvey Biljon, Nick Cragg and JB Bruzulier on a golden day at Clifton Lane

So it was rather rewarding that on this golden day to be a Rotherham Titans fan, the sun beat down from a cloudless sky onto the reddening faces of happy rugby folk as they celebrated a second promotion in three years, and potentially, a second coming for their club.

They have had quite the three decades at Clifton Lane, a rise through the divisions to the promise land of the Premiership, near financial ruin, flickers of renaissance and then the plummet. But they are on their way back.

On Saturday, in front of some 2,500 fans who packed the clubhouse, melted in the conservatory or sat on picnic blankets supping cider by the churned-up old cricket pitch, Rotherham Titans beat Sale FC 34-26 to clinch the National One title and promotion to Champ Rugby.

They came into the game only needing a point – either by scoring four tries or losing by fewer than seven points – to fend off second-place Blackheath.

As the game ticked into its final quarter, having seen a three-try 22-7 interval lead cut to 22-19, it looked like Rotherham may need either of those skin-of-the-teeth scenarios.

But after scoring more tries than anyone in the third tier, they had one more big heave left in them, camping on the Sale line and recycling the ball right for Jackson Barling to crash over for his hat-trick and promotion-clinching try. The winger’s scores took him beyond Michael Wood’s long-standing record of 22 tries in a single season, set during the 2002/03 campaign.

On the steps of the manager’s office at the other end, Harvey Biljon – the architect of Rotherham’s renaissance – leapt into the air and clasped his fellow coaches on the back.

Biljon, their meticulous South African head coach, said: “That is the culmination of a lot of work over a fair period of time and credit to the playing group for sticking at it.

"I’ve thrown a fair bit at them and they’ve responded so it’s a very special thing to win silverware and to win a competition and the club can be really proud of itself this season.

“I always felt it would come down to the last game of the season at home.

“Yes we’ve had big moments throughout the season but it’s testament to the whole group. There was always belief, always a strategy, always a plan. But it’s one thing having that, you’ve still got to get it done and the growth in the group has been exceptional.”

Biljon admitted to getting emotional in the dressing room when addressing his squad before the game, and he was fighting back tears at the end as the players hauled him off his feet and threw him up into the air in triumph as the celebrations took over the Clifton Lane pitch and raged into a balmy Spring evening.

“To have the support of the players like that is pretty special,” he said.

“In these situations everybody looks ahead to what’s coming next. But let’s embrace this moment and celebrate it today with all our supporters. How good is it to see Clifton Lane full of people and the chanting? Very special.”

Back in October 2023, Rotherham were in the early exchanges of a National Two North title fight with Leeds Tykes when they struck the decisive blow in luring Biljon to South Yorkshire.

“It was a coup, we got him at the right time,” remembers Nick Cragg, Rotherham’s long-time chairman and backer. “On the Tuesday he was unceremoniously made redundant by Jersey. I called him on the Wednesday, on the Thursday he was here, on the Monday he signed.

“We were very fortunate to get one of the best coaches in England, a superb individual and a great guy.

“And this is a very sweet moment. Biljon has put together a tremendous team of men who play as a team. He’s created a tremendous culture in the club. He’s a man devoid of ego, he cares deeply about his colleagues and his team.”

That culture has been bought into wholeheartedly by the players.

Scrum-half JB Bruzulier, a veteran of Saracens and Clermont-Auvergne among others, said: “It’s full on with Harvey, and it helps us to be fair. We take it game by game, session by session, and this is the end result.

“We didn’t take our foot off the pedal all year, even in weeks off we were putting fitness programmes in the group chat, everyone had a massive buy-in. And not just the squad, the wider community, the coaching staff, the owners, everyone.

“Everyone knew what he was bringing and if you buy into it it’s clear the outcome you’ll get.

“All the boys bought into it and look where we are now. We’ve got to enjoy this with the fans. It’s great for the club, they deserve this, the staff, the fans; there’s something special about this community.

“When people speak about Rotherham, a lot of the time it can be negative, but I think what we’ve achieved here can be a spark for the community.”