Sat 18 Nov 2023
The Saxons made the trip west along the A127 to Essex rivals Brentwood full of confidence following two wins over second and third respectively. Brentwood came into this one having suffered defeat at Thurrock the week before.
The senior coaches handed a Saxons debut to Manni Muzuzu at outside centre whilst Grant Lowe returned to the bench. Conditions in the lead up to this one were bleak, torrential rain and high winds were most unwelcome, though thankfully the rain stopped ahead of kick off. The Saxons played up the slope in the first half, a slope that often dictates where the game is played, most commonly in the bottom corner! The opening quarter the visitors showed they had set piece dominance at the scrum whilst the lineout was evenly contested. Brentwood were however the first to register points, entry into the Saxons 22, the hosts recycled the ball before flinging it wide as the winger dived over in the corner. From here the Saxons really struggled to get out of their half. Some aimless kicking throughout the half was hard to watch at times, as the hosts ran the ball back with ease to mount more pressure on the Saxons defence. The Saxons did make progress once in the half, winning a penalty that was disappointingly missed from in-front.
This pressure at times forced poor discipline and to Brentwood’s credit they took their penalties well racing into a 14-0 lead on the stroke of half time.
The Saxons returned for arguably their biggest half of the season, this time assisted by the breeze and slope. Unsurprisingly the game took place once again in the bottom corner. The visitors started to play the brand of rugby we’ve enjoyed watching throughout this season to date and Brentwood began to look stretched. The forwards carried well, regularly crossing the gain line before the ball was released out wide where Muzuzu finished superbly well. Lloyd converted well from out wide and the Saxons were seemingly back. The Saxons were gaining dominance, Stuart Whatling and Matt Wagstaff leading the charge, controlling the game extremely well, making it back into the hosts 22 in no time. The lineout began to function and the visitors edged closer to the line once again. A series of pick and goes resulted in hooker John Kenward piling over under the sticks to draw the Saxons level.
As expected from the kick off the Saxons returned to Brentwood’s 22, and after a number of penalties pressure was beginning to tell. The Saxons scrum piled forwards towards the line, yet another penalty was awarded when another push over was ignored. It looked like a stonewall penalty try, it was not to be and a few phases later Nick Horton fed winger Tom Day to dive over the line to secure the Saxons third and importantly put the visitors into the lead for the first time. The game was coming to a close in the dark, the Saxons chasing a try bonus point whilst Brentwood still believed they could draw level. The Saxons conceded a penalty allowing the hosts to enter the 22 for the first time in the half, nerves were jangling. The lineout was set and it was Blue Newton who managed to steal the ball in the air. An essential steal from the second row, which then allowed the Saxons to kick the ball off and finish the game, winning 14-21.
A brilliant result on the road against a tough Brentwood side in terrible conditions. It’s been a good November for the Saxons three wins though an element of frustration having registered three tries in the last two games. The Saxons sit top, two points clear of Eton Manor. Next up is Stowmarket at Warners Bridge on the 2nd December.
