Luton come unstuck in Brentwood mud bath

In a match that failed to spark into life due to a pitch that wasn’t suitable for running rugby, it was Brentwood who adapted to the conditions best and secured the win.

Luton, who were playing up hill in the first half, made the worst possible start by allowing Brentwood to score inside two minutes.

Brentwood won a penalty almost immediately from kick off and forced themselves five metres out with a line-out. The Essex outfit then attempted a rolling maul but as Luton’s defence set themselves for the oncoming pressure, a big gap opened on the blindside of the maul allowing Brentwood hooker Clinton Dorling to score a try unopposed and make the best possible start for Brentwood. The conversion was successful from Luke Green and Luton found themselves 7-0 down after two minutes.

The match failed to have a fast tempo as both teams were constantly being penalised by Referee Andy Boulanger, who struggled to maintain control in a contest that began to get heated from the early stages. It was Brentwood who were the first team to have their fouls punished on the scoreboard after a successful Rik Hobbs after eight minutes brought the scoreline to 7-3.

Brentwood then scored their first penalty after 21minutes, this came after Luton withstood Brentwood pressure inside their 22, but eventually the home side secured the three points and their lead was back to seven points.

Luton’s backline, who are a threat in most games, had limited opportunities to prove their qualities in a match dominated by muddy conditions. However on 23 minutes, Luton did show their quality through a Steve Ellis try. After a line-out was won by Luton’s forwards just outside Brentwood’s 22, the ball was fed to fly-half Rik Hobbs. Hobbs had inside centre Steve Ellis on his shoulder running at pace, the ball ended up in Ellis’ hands and he forced his way straight through the Brentwood defence. Ellis palmed off three defenders before running under the posts, bringing the score line to 10-10 after 23 minutes.

Brentwood, who looked to use the rolling maul often from their line-outs, scored from one after33 minutes. The home side forced their way over the try line after a line-out from the 22 metre line. Luton’s pack was unable to prevent the pressure and Kieran Skurr was the Brentwood player to score. The try was greeted from cheer from all involved with Brentwood as they recognised the success in scoring a rolling maul try from 22 metres out. The try was the last score in the first half, and the score was 17-10 in favour of Brentwood.

Brentwood were quick to add to their lead in the second half, with a penalty converted by Green to take their lead to 10 points.

Luton from that moment on had a period of dominance over Brentwood. Brentwood had fly-half Alexander Brindle sin-binned after 44 minutes for a professional foul. Luton used their man advantage quickly as Tom Mahendran showed his quality by brilliantly tapping and going from a penalty near the half way line. As Brentwood’s defence weren’t set, the scrum half was able to weave his way to the 22 before passing to Jake Hobbs to score under the posts after 46 minutes and reduce Brentwood’s lead to three points.

As Luton began to apply pressure inside Brentwood’s 22, Thomas King joined his team-mate Brindle in the sin bin after 49 minutes following a late tackle on Jake Hobbs. Luton, who now looked to utilise their two man advantage by scoring a try instead of levelling with a penalty, failed to do so despite pressure on the Brentwood try line.

The missed opportunities proved costly as Brentwood returned to 15 men and secured the win themselves with two more penalties on 70 and 73 minutes. Jake Hobbs was then sin-binned himself for a late tackle of his own and Luton, despite valiant attempts on an ever deteriorating pitch, failed to secure a losing bonus point and lost the match 26-17.
Luton will now look to bounce back on Saturday when they welcome bottom of the table Old Haberdashers to Newlands Road.

After the match Luton Director of Rugby, Paul Allen commented: "I'm bitterly disappointed in our performance yesterday. Brentwood play a simple game and play to there strengths based around a big pack. We had opportunities but did not convert these chances unlike previous weeks.

"I have to say the luxury of having a pitch like our's is highlighted when visiting pitches like Saturday.

"The pitch suited Brentwood and they deserved the win."

Brentwood: Darryl Webster, James Cowen (Darryl Aldous 55), Jonathan Wycie, Adam Thomas, Lewis Dorling, Alexander Brindle, Luke Green; Kieran Skurr, Clinton Dorling (Tom Sherwood 47), Joel Royston, Josh Woodcock, Rob Hobbs, Marc Chandler (Jordan Metcalfe 52), Matt Whaley, Thomas King.

Luton: Tom Wilmore, Douglas Fluker (Chris Talanoa 40), Jake Hobbs, Steve Ellis, Chris Davies, Rik Hobbs, Thomas Mahendran; Sam Pacey, Ryan Sheppard (Mark Tindall 52), Jack Elborn, Karl Rodell, Pat Nelly, Ryan Staff, Adam Harris, Jack Elston (Michael Weston 49)

Referee – Andy Boulanger
Touch judges: Jeremiah Hanafin and unknown

Man of the match: Steve Ellis – Despite terrible conditions for the backs, the inside centre looked dangerous every time he had the ball and took his try brilliantly.