Bees' fresh faces can't save them; ROTHERHAM 52 B'HAM & SOLIHULL10.

Byline: BRIAN DICK

DIFFERENT faces, same result. New-look Bees were smashed by Rotherham for the second time this season to get their British and Irish Cup campaign off to the worst possible start.

Not even the injection of five new players could save them from a seven-try thrashing at rain-lashed, wind-swept Clifton Lane as Craig West's team ran riot.

That extended Bees' winless run to 13 and with coach Russell Earnshaw due to depart for England Sevens duty on Wednesday, things on the pitch are heading for a bleak midwinter.

With Ben Patston making his debut at fly half, Stu Philpott and Joe Reid thrown into the deep end in the front row and back rowers Simon Pitfield and Ross Noonan enduring difficult first appearances, this was an afternoon to forget for everyone.

But skipper Matt Long refused to be downcast and insists that his team has no alternative but to press on.

Next week Bees are hoping to get the nod from the RFU to com-plete their phoenix-like rise from the financial ashes.

ROTHERHAM 52 And with new faces coming on board following the departure of 13 players since the cash crisis began, Long maintains every step is one in the right direction.

"You either turn up or don't bother," the evergreen prop said. "We have to try and take some positives out of games like this.

"We have got five or six new guys and others playing out of position - what can we do? "We have to be realistic and try to move forward.

"But it's very difficult when a couple of the new lads turn up at training on Wednesday.

"It's going to take time for them to bed in."

However, even in such diffi-cult circumstances Long admits his men did not use their brains as much as their hearts.

There can be no doubting the integrity of the players who have stayed and not been paid for the last few months.

They could have made things easier for themselves, though.

"We made it a bit easy at times," the loosehead conceded.

"They didn't have to do much special.

"We gave them opportunities to run at big holes in our defence.

And we know they have big lads who have played together for years.

"We needed to keep the ball and get ourselves into the game but we just didn't do that."

Indeed they didn't. The Solihull side were 40-3 down by half time.

The carnage started in the third minute, though Jonny West's penalty only hinted at what was to come.

Tries followed at regular intervals as veteran Jon Skurr emerged as the dominant character of the early exchanges.

The Rotherham blindside scored two and made a third in the opening half hour.

Only ten minutes had passed when he crashed through from short range after the visitors had repelled a catch and drive routine.

Patston made it 10-3 just before the quarter hour when home hooker Simon Jenkins killed the ball.

But Bees failed to recover the resulting kick-off and gifted the Titans a platform to score again.

Skurr sent a grubber kick behind the defence for Andrew Henderson to collect.

West landed a 23rd minute penalty and when scrum half Jimmy Williams spilled possession near his own line Skurr was shunted over from a scrum.

Things went from bad to worse on the half hour when Adam Clayton was sin-binned for coming in at the side.

West made him pay with a third penalty and a 28-3 lead.

As if they needed any help Titans used their man advantage for Craig Voisey to barge over near the corner flag.

It was the tighthead's first score since leaving Bees earlier this term.

Sam Dickinson then took the restart 40m unopposed to set up Henderson's second try. West converted.

Mercifully the hosts were not as ruthless in the second period and Earnshaw's men dominated the first ten minutes. All that it produced, though, was a touch down for Matt Rhodes after Clayton failed to clear up Tom Allen's kick through.

Thirteen minutes in, Ryan Burrows seared through a static defence to score.

Finally Bees had something to shout about when Rod Petty poked a kick through for Simon Hunt to scoop up.

SCORERS Rotherham - tries: Skurr (2), Henderson (2), Voisey, Rhodes, Burrows; conversions: West (3), Rhodes; penalties: West (3).

Bees - try: Hunt; conversion: McLean; penalty: Patston.

CAPTION(S):

DIFFICULT: Matt Long