We're raring to go, says Bester

TITANS will give a clutch of new players their debuts in prickly Sunday’s Championship opener at London Scottsh, with coach Andre Bester saying: “We’re ready for it.”

Bester has brought in—at the last count—23 new faces in a complete revamp of the squad following a disappointing end to last year’s campaign—giving Sunday’s starting line-up with nine new faces.

But Rotherham will go into the game at Scottish without knee victim Rob O’Donnell and captain Sam Dickinson, recovering from a broken arm suffered at the end of last season, meaning that Sean Dougall will take over as skipper for the day.

Said Bester: “It a just reward for Sean because he was excellent last season and he was a superb leader in our friendly at Llanelli. We have a lot of leaders in the team but Sean stood out.

“Sam and Rob should both be back soon but we still go into the season full of confidence.

“We’ve had a very good pre-season and everyone is in the right frame of mind. Hopefully we will got a good start at Scottish, but it’s not the end of the world if we don’t as long as the players get their application right.

“But there is a very positve mood in the camp and we are all straining at the leash to get out there and show what we can do.”

There will be starts for Shane Cahill alongside Jamie Kilbane in the front row, with Dan Baines at hooker.

Dougall is the only retained player in the back five of the pack, with Semisi Tualava and Robin Copeland in the back row and with Neale Patrick and Adrian Griffish at lock.

Garry Law and Matt Rhodes will be the half-backs with Cliff Hodgson at full back and Shane Monaghan, Byron Godfrey, Palepoi Nonu and Peter Homan in the three-quarters.