Head coach Nick Greenhall on Diss Rugby Club recording their first win of the season

Nick Greenhall says competition for places will be key for Diss Rugby Club as they look to continue their climb up the Counties 1 Eastern Counties table this weekend.

Diss picked up their first win of the campaign last Saturday, beating Cantabrigian 51-31 at Mackenders, a result which moved them up two places from 11th to ninth.

And ahead of hosting Ely tomorrow (3pm), the Diss head coach is expecting to make several changes to his side, including the return of captain John Bergin.

“It was good fun,” Greenhall said of last weekend’s high-scoring contest.

“We moved the ball quite well and it was a much improved performance on the week before (against Saffron Walden). We want to be as competitive as we can and have competition for places in the squad.

“We’ve got around 35 players in the squad at the moment, but I want to get that up to 40 players.

“That will help us put out a first and second team each week which can be competing regularly.

“Then you have the social side on a Saturday, which is the third team who just love playing, and we have enough players for that team as well.”

Diss did suffer an injury blow last weekend, with new overseas signing Toby Lennox being denied a home debut after dislocating his shoulder in the warm-up.

The hosts led 24-17 at half-time before pulling further away in the second-half, with Tawanda Kandemwa catching the eye with a hat-trick of tries.

Frazer Baron, Chris Kent, Alex Leeder and Jake Girdler were also among the tries as Diss racked up 50-plus points for the first time since January 2020.

Along with skipper Bergin’s expected return tomorrow, Greenhall is hoping to have Ed Passmore, Hayden Watling, Toby Drake and Matt Bailey all back available for selection.

Tomorrow’s clash with Ely is one of Diss’ two rearranged fixtures from the opening two weekends of the season that were postponed, along with the trip to Ipswich YM (now on November 19).

With Shelford II facing Ipswich in the only other fixture this weekend, a bonus-point win for Greenhall’s men would see them rise up to fifth.

Meanwhile, Diss II slipped to a 35-29 defeat at Wymondham II in Eastern Counties Division One North last Saturday.