Following their very breezy victory away at Wymondham, this week Brentwood returned to a King George’s bathed in unexpectedly warm autumnal sun to take on Rochford. Rochford had won two and lost two but with the teams already having had a sneak peek at each other in pre-season and Rochford winning here last time round, it was going to be another tough fixture.

Much like the weather, Brentwood’s start was the complete opposite to last week too…Receiving the kick off and playing uphill, Brentwood appeared to have not made it out of the changing rooms, various missed tackles letting Rochford easily into the 22 before a back peddling Matt Whaley was yellow carded with a little over one minute on the clock for a tackle that even I, a life member of the Matt Whaley fan club, will concede was not his finest…Rochford didn’t take long to capitalise on their man advantage, another penalty shortly afterwards being punted into the corner and Rochford mauling over for the opening try of the game, 0-5.

Fortunately, this seemed to give Brentwood the wake-up kick they needed, and a better period of play saw them with a lineout just inside Rochford’s half. It was off the top quickly, Jack Mayes clattering into midfield before Tom Walker made good ground out wide. Back inside it came, Tauren Henwood finding a defensive gap to exploit, popping the ball off to the supporting Will McArthur who thundered into the 22. The ball went left quickly, Jack Richards now within 5 metres, followed up by 3 more phases via the forwards before it went back to Tauren Henwood who put in a beautifully weighted grubber kick behind the onrushing Rochford defence, Tom Walker on exactly the right wavelength to time his run and dot the ball down unopposed, 5-5.

Ten further minutes elapsed in which Brentwood looked to be getting more into their game but there were still a few too many unforced errors stifling their progress and so when a penalty was won within kicking range, Brentwood sensibly opted to take the three via the boot of Henry Bird to give them a slender lead, 8-5.

The game remained fairly scrappy for the rest of the half, neither team really looking like having a clear cut try scoring opportunity but where Rochford missed a penalty shot at goal, Brentwood succeeded, Henry Bird converting another on the stroke of half time after a strong Brentwood scrum, 11-5 and, considering the start, not too bad playing up the slope.

With the hill now in their favour, Brentwood kicked off the second half with slightly more aplomb than the first and it took just over five minutes for them to add their second try of the game. Having immediately got into Rochford’s 22, Brentwood were awarded various penalties and this time kept the pressure on rather than taking the three, eventually opting to scrum from a penalty 5 metres out and to the left of the posts. Brentwood’s pack had the upper hand in the tight exchange, the solid platform and good go forward allowing Liam Power to get the ball to Tauren Henwood rushing round to the blindside and bundling over, 16-5.

With over half an hour left to play and bonus points already look like they’re going to be absolutely crucial in the league this season, Brentwood had ample time to try and both add another two tries and close the game out. Of course, it’s never that straightforward is it and, although Brentwood had plenty of territory and possession, the clinical edge they’d displayed so well in previous weeks was eluding them – in part due to some good Rochford defence but also from their own errors, the accuracy that we’ve seen recently just not quite there. Even with Rochford accruing two yellow cards, Brentwood could just not get themselves over the whitewash and then suddenly, twenty minutes had elapsed, no further points had been added and Rochford had got into Brentwood’s 22 for the first time in the half and were looking threatening. When Dan Suttle then copped the team yellow for the quantity of penalties given away with about ten minutes to go, the oh so slightly cynical Match Reporter did ponder that if Rochford scored quickly, Brentwood might yet lose this match…

Seemingly though, the yellow had the same effect as it did in the first half, Brentwood having to up the ante; a big defensive hit from Niall Clifford forcing Rochford to spill the ball, Jack Richards, whose work-rate had been relentless, sweeping it up before Tauren Henwood went for the kind of play that thrills the crowd and gives the coach a coronary, chipping and chasing from inside the 22. Thankfully this time the crowd were thrilled, Tauren regathering his chip, Tom Walker’s kick telepathy working well again to be perfectly positioned for the offload and putting in another excellent kick down the touchline which Rochford had to play, the chasing Luke Watson ensuring they were tackled into touch for a Brentwood lineout just outside Rochford’s 22. The following play was a little haphazard…the lineout ball batted back by George Miles rather than it’s intended target, Kieran Ballinger having to fling a pass towards midfield over an onrushing defender, Tauren Henwood taking the ball above his head and half falling over only to recover and go scooting through a gap, still a little off balance, before completing his tumble 5 metres out… I’m not sure it can be claimed as a pre-planned move, but it was effective, Brentwood now in behind and Rochford’s defence in a muddle. Calvin Close had followed up well in support, taking the pop pass off the floor to allow Brentwood time to regather, Jack Richards crashing it up one more before the ball was out to Henry Bird who slid between two defenders to cross the try line, running round under the posts to make his own conversion easier, 23-5.

With not much time left on the clock, Brentwood were still searching for the fourth try and luck appeared to be on their side when Rochford’s restart didn’t travel 10, giving Brentwood possession and a scrum in the middle of the pitch. From the scrum it went wide swiftly to Isaac Kibirige who rolled through two tackles before dragging a defender with him to nearly the 22, the ball recycled quickly to George Miles who bumped off another defender before going to ground. The ruck ball was fast, Kieran Ballinger able to spin it out to Tauren Henwood, Tauren passing to Henry Bird on the outside arc making metres and then freeing his arms in the tackle to pop the ball to his centre partner Niall Clifford who pinned his ears back to beat the remaining two defenders to the try line for the bonus point. Henry Bird knocked the conversion over, 30-5 and full time a couple of minutes later.

Whilst this was not Brentwood’s most polished performance of the season so far, it was pleasing that they stuck at it and, in the end, came away with five points that really might count come the business end of the season.

Next week Brentwood head to newly promoted Braintree, the last time the two met in a league fixture being March 2012 (disclaimer: I can only trust what the England Rugby website is telling me and accept no responsibility for its accuracy…). Braintree have had a tough start to the season, losing their opening four against Norwich, Eton Manor, Wymondham and Rochford but will be buoyed by a good victory last week against Chelmsford and will present another challenge for Brentwood as they look for another win on the road.

Also at King George’s this week and following a good victory away at Harlow IIs, Brentwood Stags took on Westcliff Lions in the Essex Merit League. It was a game that was closely contested until the end when Westcliff added a couple of quick tries to run out 26-50 winners but with their rejuvenated coaching team able to call on a 23-man match day squad which was a good blend of young enthusiasm and older heads, a really positive step for Brentwood as a club. Next weekend, they will be aiming for a second win of the season away to Thurrock IIs.