A rare sunny afternoon by the coast, set the scene for an exciting game of rugby. After two closely defeated games, Diss travelled to Southwold looking to improve and kickstart their season.

Diss won the coin flip and opted to kick to Southwold to start. The game started as it meant to go on, with either team having opportunities at either end of the pitch but both failing to capitalize. It was the boys in blue who struck first. After winning a line-out deep in the opposition’s half, slick hands along to the edge allowed Thomas Webster to run in and finish in the far-right corner. The conversion was then slotted perfectly from out wide by resident kicker Aaron Frith.

Southwold then piled on the pressure and came on the offensive, working their way into the Diss 22. The Diss defence worked hard protecting their line for a considerable amount of time, until a penalty was given away for a high tackle, and prop Josh Hayhoe was side-lined for ten minutes. The Diss scrum had to be altered, allowing the long-awaited return of Scott Deacon and ever reliable Pete Bray, fuelled by the pre-match dinner, to enter the field. Southwold continued to attack close to the line and with the pressure mounting crossed the white line. 5-7.

Diss had a strong period of possession which led to an attacking scrum just past the halfway line. A classic set-piece move led to Luke Miller breaking away from the back of the scrum with space in front and men alongside him. But the strong number 8 choose to go alone, colliding with the Southwold 15 just before the line but managed to make his way over. The Diss men thought they had scored just before the half time whistle, but the ref deemed the tackle complete before the try was scored and it was disallowed.
Half-time 5-7 to Diss.

The second half started with the opposition determined to change the score. A series of play out wide allowed the Southwold team close to the Diss line. Working hard, the Diss defence halted the opposition for as long as they could until a penalty was conceded in front the posts. Southwold opted for the 3 points. Southwold knew how to play their strengths and their pitch and executed a 50-22 from deep in their own half. From the resulting lineout, Southwold broke through the Diss line, allowing the opposition to extend the deficit. 13-7.
The task became a lot harder soon after, when fullback Elliott Fulcher received a yellow for a dangerous tackle and shortly followed by Joe Gant receiving the bin also for a scuffle, the ref wasn’t afraid of using his cards. Despite the reduced numbers, the Diss men stepped up, heroically defending and protecting the score line, only conceding 3 points from the tee in this period.
With the clock running down, Diss knew they had to get back into the game. A passage of strong attacking rugby allowed the boys in blue to edge their way up the field, with each carry taking them closer to the try line. The Diss pressure soon became too much for the opposition, with a typical strong run from Luke Miller breaking the Southwold line and scoring. 16-12.

Diss couldn’t give up yet, setting up a tense final few minutes. The boys went on the attack, trying to get their first victory but fell short after loose ball and a last-play drop goal ended the game. 19-12.

Another narrow defeat for the away side but positives to be taken from the scrappy game and a losing bonus point. Diss look ahead to face a struggling Bury 2s next week away from home, hoping to see further improvements. Diss’s man of the match was Scott Deacon, who despite his long absence from playing, fitted straight back into the squad as if he had never left, leaping like a salmon in the lineout and stabilising the Diss defence from his introduction.

Submitted by DOD Elliott Fulcher