Diss 13 : 16 Chiswick - 25th April 2015

As predicted the Play –off final between Diss and London Two rivals Chiswick proved a very tight and tense affair with the visitors stealing the honours late in the game following an infringement at a ruck. Ultimately the difference between the teams came down to a wonderfully organised Chiswick defence and an ability when in possession to retain the ball and play the percentage game in the second half. All too often Diss failed to execute attacking moves due to poor handling or wrong choice of options in the off-load. That said, this was a full blooded and wonderfully contested encounter that fully represented a match of this stature.

Chiswick took an early 3-0 lead with a penalty . Diss responded immediately by laying siege the West Londoners line but eventually had to settle for a penalty of their own to bring the score back to 3-3. Chiswick now struck a key blow after 20 minutes by creating space through the middle that unleashed their inside centre to score close to the posts increasing the lead to 10-3. As the half developed Diss adopted a much more trusted approach through the tight eight and were eventually rewarded with a John Laurie try that was unfortunately not converted. An aspect of the game that would come back to haunt Diss at a later stage As the half drew to a conclusion the home support were very much aware that the normal route for Diss points was being nullified by a superb Chiswick defence and alarm bells were beginning to sound.

The second half proved a real battle of wits and patience. Diss Infringed again at a ruck and Chiswick increased their lead to 13-8. Led by Scrum half Jamie Burroughs and John Laurie Diss rallied and following intense pressure on the Chiswick line scored through the forwards to levels the scores with minutes remaining. The relatively simple conversion was missed and extra-time looked on the cards. From the kick off Diss failed to even compete for the ball and immediately infringed at the following ruck, allowing the Chiswick number 10 the opportunity to kick the winning points from 35 meters out. In reflection Chiswick deserved to win due to the fact that on the day they were more disciplined in defence and precise when in possession. So ends a wonderful and enjoyable season for the Diss Club. Time to take stock and challenge for honours again next year.