What seemed like for the umpteenth time, the local football at the weekend turned out to be anything but.  Billericay Town and East Thurrock United matches postponed, and Brentwood Town visiting a club that was inaccessible by public transport (unless you fancied a 6 mile hike after 2 trains and a bus!).

Determined to not have another blank weekend at Phoenix FM Sport Towers, though, a re-arranged local rugby fixture was found.  Old Brentwood’s, in a lowly 8th out of 11 in London 3 North East, were looking to ease any relegation fears at the expense of Canvey Island, just a place and three points behind them.

Coming from a family that’s been rugby union mad, with some playing at an extremely high level, I was not exactly an outsider looking in.  I know my inside five eighths from my outside.  I’m quite fly like that.

Arriving at Tewkes Creek, Canvey Island’s home, what hit me was that, in all those decades since I’d last been there, it hadn’t changed.  It was bitterly cold, with a chill wind blowing in from the estuary, and absolutely no protection from the elements.

Both sides, warming up, really had to shout at themselves to get motivated.  On a day this cold and windy, with the Six Nations on in a warm clubhouse, it was clear where they really wanted to be.  It was also wreaking havoc with trying to get any sort of preview recorded.  It was going to be a tough afternoon for everyone.

Within three minutes of the kick-off, though, Old Brentwood’s were ahead.  Nice quick ball from a scrum in their own half, a run down the back line, and in at the right hand corner.  The perfect start.  Perhaps this wasn’t going to be as attritional as I thought.

Canvey, to their credit, put paid to that notion.  Clearly, their strength lay with their pack.  The visitors could just about claim parity in the line-outs, but in other set-pieces, the home forwards ground and shunted their opponents across the pitch.  Old Brentwood’s were being driven clean off their own scrums, and a steady stream of penalties came Canvey’s way.

At half time, the home side had eased into a commanding 15-5 lead, all their points coming through those penalties.  The OldB’s had a real task on their hands.  If they continued conceding penalty after penalty, the ref would have no option but to start sin-binning them.  Despite scoring the only try, Old Brentwood’s looked set for defeat.

Looking set, however, is far from being set.  With the wind at their backs for the second half, visiting hearts grew stronger.  Forward play was not dwelt upon.  Quick ball to their increasingly dangerous back line was the key.  Within a quarter of an hour of the second half, it was all level at 15-15, with Old Brentwood’s getting the ball out wide and then switching play quickly.

All of a sudden, there only seemed one winner – and it wasn’t the hosts.  10 minutes later, the OldB’s full back makes a mazy run down the left.  He’s stopped just short of the line, but the ball is recycled quickly and there’s a try under the posts.  Improbably, the visitors now led 22-15.

Canvey were never going to go down without a hell of a fight though.  Their forwards got on top again, and after yet another penalty, which was converted, Old Brentwood’s were down to 14 men for ten minutes.  With their lead whittled down to four points, and a man short, the match again swung the home side’s way.

Old Brentwood’s response, however, was immediate.  Another surge up-field  and a penalty from around the Canvey 22 metre line.  Converted with ease.  25-18.  That, more than anything, you felt was the crucial moment of the game, where it was won and lost.

Canvey Island still battled until the end, their forwards making ground ferociously.  Instead of shouts of encouragement to themselves and from the hardy souls watching from the touchline, it was pleas to step things up.  Canvey believed they could still win – but no longer believed they would.

Old Brentwood’s hearts stood firm in the face of the incessant forward pressure.  You could see they believed.  They stayed disciplined, refusing to panic, doing the right thing at the right time.  They knew.  After a tremendous battle, it was their day.

Finally, the referee brought an end to what was an absorbing, and at times pulsating, contest.  Canvey Island will play worse and win, without a doubt.  But Old Brentwood’s, with their inventive back line, probably just about deserved to sneak the victory.

And how much did it cost to witness such an excellent sporting contest?  Not a single penny.  Everyone there playing, coaching, supporting, being there for the sheer love of the game.  I may have been frozen, as I at last managed a semblance of a report in the howling wind, but the cockles of my heart were well and truly warmed.

An overlooked sport, rugby union, but a great one.  Why not nip along one Saturday afternoon and support your local team?  If today is anything to go by, it’ll be one of the best decisions you’ll ever make.

Canvey Island 18,  Old Brentwoods 25

( Some more pics from today’s game can be found here … https://www.flickr.com/photos/phoenixfmsport/sets/72157632674076356/ )

Other local rugby results:

Luton 29,  Brentwood 14

Wyondham 15,  Billericay 10

Local football result:

Soham Town Rangers 2,  Brentwood Town 2