Rotherham forget basics

Rotherham are no strangers to motivational theory. After a particularly lame display against a makeshift Leicester side in the Premiership last month, when they went 17 points down in the first 13 minutes of the game, the press reports were pinned up in the home dressing room.

Rotherham are no strangers to motivational theory. After a particularly lame display against a makeshift Leicester side in the Premiership last month, when they went 17 points down in the first 13 minutes of the game, the press reports were pinned up in the home dressing room.

"Utter hopelessness" and "an air of resignation" were phrases chosen to remind the players of their responsibility to themselves and the club.

It seemed to do the trick. Next time out they beat Saracens, and followed that by defeating Grenoble last weekend in the European Shield, to become the only English club to win both their pool matches in France.

Some feat, and having beaten Perpignan at the Stade Aimé Giral in October, there was every reason to expect they would build on their recent successes and claim a place in the quarter-finals by turning over the Frenchmen at Clifton Lane on Saturday.

But expectation and reality are so far removed from each other at Rotherham, the coaching staff will need to go through the motivational routine once more to lift their side as the remainder of the season turns into a long grind to avoid relegation.

Rather than recalling the match's low points to explain the inept reality of how they aided Perpignan's stroll to victory, it might be better to consider something fundamental along the lines of: "Rugby is a simple game. The idea is to win the ball and keep it".

They may like to add something about decision-making. For while that element of Rotherham's game was so wasteful, if they just determined to keep the ball once it had been won, some progress is possible.

There were signs of improvement when, having shipped 22 points in 13 minutes-with a try from Josh Heke and two by the electric Farid Sid, plus two conversions and a penalty kicked by Benoît Bellot, Rotherham pulled themselves together and pulled back to within three points.

Andy Northey added a smart try to Mike Umaga's two early penalty goals to make it 22-11 at the break. Two more Umaga penalties and a terrific try by Martin Dawson and Rotherham were back in business with 12 minutes still to run.

But with Howard Parrin the sin-bin, Carlos Hassan consigned his side's chancesto the dustbin by kicking some hard-won possession straightto Sid, who made off for histhird try to make Perpignan's day.

Rotherham: Tries Northey, Dawson Penalties Umaga 4.

Perpignan: Tries Sid 3, Heke Conversions Bellot 2 Penalties Bellot 2.

Rotherham: M Dawson; S Dixon (C Hassan 55), M Umaga, A Northey, P Greaves; N Wainwright (C Harrison 37), D Scully; J Thorp, C Johnson, S Turner, G Kenworthy, D Cook (H Parr 71), I Fea'unati (L Greef 71), R Earnshaw (B Wade 49), M Schmid (Capt).

Perpignan: G Arindiga; F Sid, F Cermeno, N Witkowski, R MacDonald (T Whitford 79); B Bellot, J Basset (Capt); P Meya (R Peillard 49), R Mavrodin, J Heke (S de Besombes 60), O Olibeau (C Bergez 37), J Daniell, R Jechou, B Goutta, P Murphy.

Referee: C Giacomel (Italy).