London Welsh missed the chance to go second as Rotherham gained revenge for their Old Deer Park defeat earlier in the season.

Titans fly half Juan Socino was the hero for the home side scoring 24 points, as Rotherham ended Welsh’s three-match winning run at Clifton Lane.

Things started brightly for the Dragons when Hudson Tonga’uiha crossed and Jamie Lennard converted before adding a penalty to give Welsh a 10-0 lead after just seven minutes.

But Socio got the home side on the board with a penalty and a drop goal, and then converted his own try to see the sides go in level at the break, after Lennard added a second penalty for Welsh.

Joe Bedford’s early second half try set Rotherham on the road to victory with Socino adding three more penalties to close the game out.

Welsh were led out by Paul Sampson, making his 100th league appearance for the Dragons, and the away side looked sharp from the first whistle.

Only a forward pass denied Rob Lewis a first minute try, after Tonga’uiha had made the initial break, but the breakthrough would not be long in coming.

Josh Drauniniu left Adam Kettle for dead and although he lost his footing as he looked to beat last man Richard Welding, his offload sent Tonga’uiha over for a simple finish.

Jamie Lennard converted and then added a penalty, but the Titans hit back quickly as Colin Quigley rumbled up field and with Welsh penalised Juan Socino got the home side on the board from close range.

Rotherham were inviting pressure by failing to find touch with the boot, and when Welding did just that, having marked Errie Claassens’ kick, Welsh set up another sight of the uprights for Lennard, only for the Welsh fly to drag his kick to the left of the posts.

Another missed touch, this time by Socino, gave Lennard another opportunity to go for goal, only this time the Dragons number ten elected to push the ball into the corner.

But Welsh’s initial catch and drive was repulsed by some spirited defence, and a succession of scrums brought no reward with a penalty to the Titans allowing Socino to clear.

It was then Rotherham’s turn to find touch in the corner and after the home pack had crabbed across the field, Socino stroked over a well taken drop goal.

Rotherham were warming to their task and Sam Dickinson put in one crunching tackle on Tonga’uiha. Epi Taione, however, took it up and Paul Mackey was only denied a try by an excellent tackle which stripped the ball away when the centre looked odds on to score.

But with referee Andrew Taylorson playing advantage to the Dragons, Lennard stepped up to add his second penalty.

Rotherham., though, hit back from the restart as Joe Bedford fed Socino from a scrum and he found a gap in the Welsh line to scamper in and touch down under the posts. The fly half converting to draw the home side level.

It seemed destined to be Socino’s day when he elected to run back Welsh’s restart and was fortunate not to be turned over, and the luck was again with him when his kick was charged down by Lennard and Nick Runciman only for the ball to bounce back into his hands.

A period of sustained Welsh pressure leading up to half-time came to nothing as Rotherham’s defence held firm to go in all square at the break.

Welsh had enjoyed more of the possession but hadn’t taken their chances and Rotherham did just that six minutes into the second half.

A messy Welsh scrum ended with Claassens being forced over his own line to give the home side a five metre scrum.

A good tackle by Sampson prevented Simeon Jones from getting his pass away with a man outside him, but it was only a temporary reprieve for Welsh as scrum half Bedford darted over from the reset scrum in front of the posts. Socino added the extras and then stretched the lead further with two penalties with the game slipping away from Welsh.

A rare error from Socino saw the fly half find touch from outside of his own 22 to give Welsh good field position, only for Dom Shabbo to be forced into touch. Incessant Dragons pressure came to nothing with Welsh unable to break down a stubborn Titans defence.

With five minutes remaining Welsh looked to have given themselves a lifeline when Claassens crossed in the corner against his former club, after Drauniniu had again cut through Rotherham, but referee Andrew Taylorson adjudged the scoring pass as forward.

Lingering Welsh hopes of sneaking a losing bonus point evaporated when Socino added his fourth penalty, but the Dragons had travelled to Clifton Lane with higher expectations than that only to end up second best to a well motivated and organised Rotherham side.

Rotherham Titans scorers: Tries: Socino, Bedford; Cons: Socino: (2), Pens: Socino (4); Drop goal: Socino.

London Welsh scorers: Tries: Tonga’uiha; Cons: Lennard; Pens: Lennard (2).

Rotherham Titans: Richard Welding, Jonny Hampsey, Jonny Hepworth, Cliffie Hodgson, Simeon James, Juan Socino, Joe Bedford, Jamie Kilbane, Alex Loney, Colin Quigley, James Sandford, Agustin Smidt, Sam Dickinson, Adam Kettle ©, Ryan Burrows.

Replacements: Dan Baines for Loney (70min), Sean Dougall for Kettle (72min), Nico Steenkamp for Kilbane (73min), Ben Harris for Smidt (77min).

Replacements not used: Mark George, Matt Rhodes, Pete Swatkins.

London Welsh: Errie Claassens, Paul Sampson, Hudson Tonga’uiha, Paul Mackey, Josh Drauniniu, Jamie Lennard, Nick Runciman, Shawn Pittman, Dan George, Lorne Ward, Dan Williams, Matt Corker, Ben Russell, Michael Hills ©, Epi Taione.

Replacements: Rob Herring for George (h-t), Will Johnson for Ward (h-t), Dom Shabbo for Mackey (60min), Waisea Luveniyali for Lennard (65min), Rob Lewis for Runciman (65min), Max Lahiff for Pittman (70min).

Replacements not used: Gary Johnson.

Officials: Ref – Andrew Taylorson; TJ’s Steve Lee & Steve Savage.

Half-time: 13-13 Attendance: 903