Last season, Old Habs finished in seventh position in the league with 63 points, one place behind Brentwood. However in the current season, they have struggled to find any form and came into this match in bottom place with only eight points.

With Brentwood having won the reverse fixture by 14-5, their supporters expected another close match and they were proved correct in this assessment.

The home side made three changes this week with James Metcalfe replacing the injured captain Josh Woodcock, and Alex Brindle and James Cowen returning in place of Harry Watson and Lewis Dorling. Tom King captained the side.

On a sunny afternoon, Brentwood kicked off down the slope. Early play was scrappy with neither side establishing control. However, an early incursion into the home side’s 22 saw Old Habs drive over against a weak defence. The try converted, Old Habs had the lead 7-0. An overlap opportunity was missed as the visitors had total control in the first ten minutes.

Brentwood were let off the hook again when an Old Habs winger was unable to take a ball with the try line at his mercy. However, a missed tackle in the centre shortly after saw the visitors run in a second unconverted try from forty metres.

The first quarter ended in total disarray as Brentwood had not got out of their starting blocks.

However, against the run of play hooker Clinton Dorling broke into the Old Habs 22 for prop Joel Bevans-Royston to score from the ensuing ruck. Scrum-half Luke Green slotted over the conversion.

With Brentwood having been unable to raise a head of steam despite playing down the slope, they were lucky to be only 7-12 down at the interval. The Old Habs backs looked dangerous with any loose ball and their pack were giving their opponents a torrid time, outgunning them in the tight and loose.

The second half saw Old Habs playing with the advantage of the slope. They quickly put another three points on the board when they were awarded a soft penalty.

As the half progressed, Brentwood began to stir themselves and the Old Habs pack began to tire. A break by centre Jon Wylie produced a Brentwood try between the posts. Converted by Green, the home side had reduced the deficit to only one point at 14-15.

From this point onwards, Brentwood gained in confidence and started to apply pressure to the weakening Old Habs side. A Green penalty put Brentwood ahead for the first time in the match at 17-15.

With fresh legs brought on in the form of Jon Crisp and Marc Chandler for Joel Bevans-Royston and James Metcalfe, Brentwood at last produced some quality rugby.

A third converted Old Habs try took the score to 17-22 and Brentwood again looked vulnerable. However, the home pack dug in and drove uphill and won a penalty in Old Habs’ 22. Although the visitors managed to clear the ball, they were now under continual pressure.

More home forward power saw captain for the day second row Tom King crash over for Brentwood’s third try. Green again converted to give his team victory by 24-22 and four league points. Brentwood remain eighth in the league with 62 points and a very plucky Old Habs side remain bottom with nine points.

This was a real Jeckyll and Hyde display by Brentwood with some bright rugby played amongst the largely lethargic performance in the first half. They can’t always count on a “get out of jail card” to secure a win in the second half especially when they meet Colchester away next week.

Best players in an overall poor team performance from Brentwood were Tom King in the pack and Jon Wylie in the centre.

Team: Dorling (C), Sherwood, Bevans-Royston, Hobbs, King (capt), Metcalfe, Whaley, Aldous, Green, Brindle, Cowen, Wylie, Gillet, Smith and Worster.

The weekend also saw the Brentwood 2nd XV beat Westcliff’s second string 22-17 in the BL Merit League 1st Division. This was a particularly good win as Westcliff are top of the league and had not been beaten for two years. Brentwood retain their second place.

On Sunday morning, Brentwood’s U17s beat Chelmsford 29-0 to win a place in their age group final of the Essex Cup. A classy performance by the boys who showed a wide range of skills in both the forwards and the backs. The final will be against old rivals Upminster; venue and date have yet to be announced.

Next week, the Brentwood 1st XV match is at away against Colchester on 15th March (ko 3.00pm).