Thurrock 22, Brentwood 20

"Heb casineb, heb ofn".

THIS is the Welsh mantra of Jeff Selway's home club, Abertillery. It means, "Without hatred without fear" and it was certainly the way Jeff had led his life.

He had put his heart and soul into Thurrock for more than 45 years and his death last week has devastated the worlds of rugby and education. Jeff had never forgotten his alma mater and was so proud of the fact that when touring teams came to Wales, the schools were closed so all the pupils could be part of a 25,000 crowd that watched the mighty All Blacks, Don Clarke and all! Abertillery had even defeated Australia by 6 points to 5 and only lost to South Africa by 3-0!

Jeff's son James and grandson Ethan were present at Oakfield on Saturday when [L]https://thurrock.nub.news/n/thurrock-rfc-mark-tribute-to-jeff-with-a-derby-victory [L]the club paid tribute to Jeff. [.L]

Ethan was presented with a ball signed by all the players, while James was given an Abertillery polo shirt. There was no way that Thurrock could lose this local derby, but they certainly ensured the most dramatic encounter after both teams and spectators stood to attention alongside players on the adjacent pitch as everyone paid their respects to Jeff with a minute's applause.

Thurrock were forced to make some late changes, with the ubiquitous Joss Nunn missing out through injury and Tom Worsfold through illness.

The reshuffle brought Dan Stone in to steer the game from 10 and Lewis Cross on to the wing. Both were to play a key role in the afternoon's events. Often in rugby, the most technically gifted and talented teams lose out to those who bring the most heart and passion to the table and when you have both, you are likely to prevail.

The bitter conditions, exacerbated by a strong north-westerly wind meant that winning the toss was essential. The first ten minutes of any game can be lost as both sides test out the opposition. There are often dilemmas about whether to kick for goal or the corner? Teams tend to panic if they haven't scored enough points and, as half-time approaches, tension rises and mistakes occur. Furthermore, there are psychological issues with the knowledge of the wind - assisted pressure to come.

Playing into the elements first, Thurrock handled the task with confidence and surety. They carried the ball with care and belief. With Niall Clifford and Henry Bird restored to their centre partnership, there was an impenetrable complexion to the midfield and Alex Jones was demonstrating maturity with his leadership and passing variations.

Lewis Cross had shown his versatility with a first class performance on the flank and now showed his power on the wing. The first time he received a pass, a barnstorming run swept all before him. This set the tone for the day and he was able to dive over for the first score after picking up a difficult pass off his bootlaces! Matt Siddle just failed with the trickiest of conversions.

Thurrock were having their best, most controlled start of the season and Jones and Dan Stone were controlling the tempo. Heavy duty work from skipper Russo, Loka and Ben Timson brought territorial advantage, before the wind began to take its toll. Still, the line remained intact and the fact that Cox elected to kick for goal was indeed a small victory. Anthony Catchpole and Caolan Watts-Adams were outstanding. Dan Ulph was always in the thick of the action with young lock Jay Jennings. Frank Wright showed real courage in soldiering on, even with a mild case of food poisoning! Matt Siddle came into the line to create overlaps, while Kye Holloway demonstrated real outside pace.

After a magnificent passage of play, the ball seemed to pass through every set of hands, before reaching Lewis Cross. The winger displayed his immense power as Brentwood players were spread-eagled across the pitch. Having been stopped just short, the ball was recycled to Jay Jennings who still had a lot to do but carried hard to dive over for his maiden try and the team's reward for such adventure.

With the weather deteriorating, it was inevitable that Brentwood would gain territorial advantage and with Jennings having to leave the field, debutant Elonas Butrimas entered the fray. In spite of some fine tackling by the youngster, scrum-half Lucas-Roast was able to nip in from close range .Cox added the extras and, at half-time, the teams were tied at 10-10.

At the commencement of the second half, Thurrock made the mistake of hesitating when it appeared the ball had not reached ten metres from the kick-off! Brentwood seized the advantage, scored a try and momentarily seized momentum. With Killington and Bevans-Royston to the fore, the away side were able to gain a foothold in the Thurrock half.

Frank Wright went off to be replaced by Kole Awosika who put in some fine tackles and exemplified the work ethic demanded by the coaches. The ever-reliable Rob Murphy came on to shore up the defence, before the evergreen Dritan Loka began a series of assaults on the Brentwood line.

Nevertheless, Brentwood held on until Loka charged through the defence like a runaway train for a fine try. However, when Thurrock were reduced to 14 men after receiving a yellow card for persistent infringements, Brentwood regained the initiative and a long period of pressure drove over for a try which Cox converted. With the score at 15-20 ,Thurrock braced themselves to retrieve the situation as the game was drawing to a close.

With Alex Jones prompting the attack and rifling out pinpoint passes ,the Oakfielders demonstrated the patience to run through the phases before unleashing their backs. Some wonderful passing from Stone, Clifford, Siddle and Bird set Kye Holloway with an opportunity. He took the outside route, like all good wingers, and accelerated like an electric hare down the touchline to level the scores. The touchline conversion seemed like a poisoned chalice, but up stepped Henry Bird. The former Brentwood player had been superb throughout and there was no doubt that the stars were aligned as he ran up for the most important conversion of his life. He smashed the ball, allowing for the wind to propel the ball through the uprights for a famous victory! Jeff Selway had dedicated much of his life to the club he loved and this triumph was achieved in much the same way that he had overcome adversity ,with courage, determination and heb ofn!