DESPITE their team winning the home fixture against Diss 30-24 in October, Brentwood's supporters fully realised that matches away at Mackenders are always extremely difficult to win.
There were two changes to last week's starting line-up; Luke Green returned at scrum-half and James Cowen came in at left-wing.
Seventh placed Diss – 42 points from 18 games – kicked off in perfect conditions for open rugby and were soon in the lead. An early penalty against fifth placed Brentwood – 55 points from 17 games – then led to an inter-passing move down the whole length of the pitch for Diss to score their first try. Unconverted, the home side were quickly ahead 8-0.
With a flood of penalties given against the visitors, Diss were maintaining their pressure on the Brentwood side. It soon became obvious that the Diss game plan was to keep the ball wide, avoiding contact at the breakdown with the heavier visitors' pack.
Dan Whitehead went close with a couple of penalties as the first quarter ended. The opening twenty minutes had been tough for Brentwood. Again slow off the mark, poor first tackles and little urgency shown played into the hands of Diss's superior game structure and in particular their off-loading. Constantly stretching the visitors' defence, Diss scored their second try from a delicate kick ahead and a speedy run into the right corner. Unconverted, Diss had a 13-0 lead and looked to be heading for a comfortable win against a lacklustre Brentwood team.
However, with their pack beginning to fire, the visitors drove downfield where, after a series of pick and drives, prop Joel Bevans-Royston powered over for his side's first try. Converted by Whitehead, Brentwood were back in the game at 7-13.
At half-time, Director of Rugby Steve Killington had plenty to say to his team after a disappointing first half performance. Only Luke Green's probes and Dan Whitehead's line kicking had kept the visitors in the game. Diss, on the other hand, looked dangerous especially in loose play with their fast backs and superior passing.
The second half was a totally different game. With Tom King substituted by John Beith, Josh Woodcock moved into the second row. The Brentwood pack were now beginning to dominate the proceedings with play becoming increasingly feisty. Second row Rob Hobbs and his opposite lock were both sin-binned for a minor hand-bagging offence.
Into the last quarter, Brentwood won a penalty in the Diss 22. A line-out drive saw the pack power over the line for skipper Josh Woodcock to claim the try. Whitehead just missed the conversion but Brentwood had recovered to 12-13 with just ten minutes left on the clock.
John Crisp came on for James Metcalfe and Charlie Chambers for Dan Whitehead. With Brentwood still pressing, the Diss pack were pushed off their scrum ball. John Beith picked up the loose ball and found the right angle to pierce the Diss defence for Brentwood's third try. Chambers missed the conversion, but for the first time in the match, the visitors were ahead 17-13.
With the referee allowing fifty-four minutes for the second half, the last ten minutes of play saw Diss mount a total assault on Brentwood's line. Maintaining continuous play within the visitor's 22, Diss battled to within inches of the Brentwood line. Wave after wave of attacks were met by a resolute defence showing great guts and determination. Whatever Diss tried, the Brentwood team put in a dogged response.
Eventually, the referee blew for time, much to the joy and relief of the visiting supporters. They had witnessed a truly heroic second half performance by their team, especially during the last period of play.
With Brentwood capturing another four points from a prized 17-13 away win at Diss, the team is now only one point behind fourth-placed Colchester.
