George Watson’s College win U18 Schools Cup Final

It was Morrisons Academy/Crieff & Strathearn that took away the first win of the day in an exciting match on Pitch 1. Despite some creative play from St Columba’s (Kilmacolm), especially in set plays, it was Morrisons that secured the win with confident attacking plays.

St Columba’s led the attack in the opening minutes gaining good ground with players making impressive breaks. Danie Jackson’s speed almost gave them the first try but he was stopped by a nifty tap tackle on the 22m.

However, after a change in possession due to an obstruction, it turned to Morrison’s Academy/Crieff & Strathearn to show their attacking plays.

7 st C. Impressive breakthrough and only stopped from a toe tip tackle. A penalty for offside against Morrisons gave st Cs allowed for the first points on the board. (0-3) not given

Morrison’s Academy/Crieff & Strathearn first try came from captain, Ruaraidh Hutchinson who barrelled over the line to put the first points on the board. The conversion was unsuccessful.

A few opportunities followed for St Columba’s but they couldn’t quite get into crucial ground. Their defensive work did stop some crucial plays from the Crieff outfit though.

A second try followed from flanker Alexander Waldron. Waldron dove for the line with options still available. George Armstrong followed with the extras.

St Columba’s had a couple of close moments on the try line, one where they were pulled into touch and the other was not given following a forward pass.

St Columba’s Kieran McNicol secured their first points ahead of half-time. The conversation from Jamie Stein was successful. (12-7)

Half-time: Morrisons Academy/Crieff & Strathearn 12-7 St Columba’s (Kilmacolm)

Morrison’s Academy/Crieff & Strathearn opened up the scoring in the second half. They were consistently strong in their attacking plays, finding the space on the pitch for Rowan Walsh to cross the line. The conversion was unsuccessful.

Morrison’s Taylor Mitchell followed with another try as he weaved his way through the line to score under the posts. Conversion attempt bounced off the posts and was unsuccessful.

Their next try came from a maul that allowed Rowan Walsh to barrel over. Conversion was unsuccessful.

Another try opportunity followed after a break from Kerr and an offload to Hutchinson. He was foiled by St Columba’s players who pulled him into touch to leave the final score as 27-7.

The player of the match was awarded to Morrison’s Academy/Crieff & Strathearn’s flanker, Ruaridh Kerr. His consistency and control in the line outs, coupled with good communication throughout, was the reason for this decision.

Full-time: Morrisons Academy/Crieff & Strathearn 27-7 St Columba’s (Kilmacolm)

Player of the Match: Ruaridh Kerr (Morrisons Academy/Crieff & Strathearn)

St Aloysius’ College claimed the U16 Plate in a physical, high scoring encounter at the Hive Stadium.

St Leonard’s Madras got the game under way but it was St Aloysius’ who opened the scoring after an impressive chip through landed perfectly for Oliver Ralph who made no mistake dotting down right under the post. Captain David Broadley managed the conversion to take an early seven-point lead.

A strong forward Madras pack made their intentions clear from the get-go when Ben Paterson forced his way over the try line after being set up perfectly by full back Joshua Higgins to narrow the lead within two points.

St Aloysius’ bounced back through Jonah Dignon whose set piece finish extended their lead once again but Madras responded with a try of their own off the set piece through Struan Trewartha. Michael Denton added the extra two do draw level with ten minutes still play in the half.

Frederick Adesola managed to creep into the corner to take the lead and give the boys in yellow and green the advantage going into half time.

Half-time: St Leonard’s Madras 12-19 St Aloysius’ College

Fergus Mason set the tone for the second half when he dived over the try line and a successful conversion drew both teams level once again.

The stalemate was short-lived when St Aloysius’ Joseph Kinsler slipped right through the Madras defence to find the white line. Mason hit back and powered his way over the try line for his second try of the encounter.

A sensational effort by Elliot Barry to run in behind the posts followed by Oliver Ralph’s conversion took St Aloysius’ five points clear.

Madras maintained their physicality when Edward Mifsud drew level for the third time in 60 minutes, setting up a riveting final ten minutes of play.

Broadley held his nerve to slot a vital penalty to give St Aloysius back the lead which they were able to hold onto until the final whistle, winning the U16 Plate final.

Full-time: St Leonard’s Madras 26-31 St Aloysius’ College.

Player of the Match: David Broadley (St Aloysius’ College)

Robert Gordon’s College claimed the U18 Shield, coming from behind and only going ahead for the first time with four minutes to go against Dollar Academy.

While half-chances fell reguarly to both sides, it took until the 19^th minute for the scoring to be opened, and it was Dollar who did it. A lovely break up the middle from the backs that eventually headed out to the left wing got them five metres short, and as the forwards pounded for the line it was Kerr McGuffin who eventually crossed. Dylan Kelly converted.

Dollar thought they had a second when a grubber through was dived on over the line by Hamish McKay, but the ball just went forward in his grounding.

But the second score was not long in coming. A penalty for hands in the ruck was kicked into the right corner, and again it was the forwards who made the hard yards, with Cameron Hynd this time the scorer. Kelly again converted.

Robert Gordon’s looked to get back in it, taking a scrum from a penalty five metres out. Fraser Rettie broke from the back and raced to the line, but Dollar got back well to hold him up.

The score did come on the stroke of half time. Temi Adekola broke on the right wing, going round the defensive line before cutting inside the last man and swan diving under the posts. He converted his own score to make it a one-score game at the break.

Half-time: Robert Gordon’s College 7-14 Dollar Academy

Gordon’s were held up three times in the opening 10 minutes of the second half, but when Henry Hamilton created a two-on-one on the right wing, he timed the pass perfectly to Adekola who finished majestically in the corner for his second.

But Dollar widened the gap again soon after, breaking through the middle before Nicholas Dow collected the final pass, beating the last man on the left wing before going round under the posts. Kelly was three from three.

It was back within a score three minutes later. Captain James Roberts forced his way to the line at the back of a maul, and Adekola converted from the left touchline.

And with just 4 minutes remaining, Adekola spotted space on the blind side, racing through a gap and rounding the full back to score his hat-trick and put RGC ahead for the first time, and added the conversion to boot.

Full-time: Robert Gordon’s College 26-21 Dollar Academy

Player of the Match: Temi Adekola (Robert Gordon’s College)

Edinburgh Academy emerged victorious over Loretto School with a dominant display at Hive Stadium claiming the U16 Shield title.

Edinburgh Academy were first on the board, pressuring Loretto with a solid attack to pin them in their 22. The forwards carried hard to the five-metre line with Zak MacGregor dotting down. Co-captain Ben Hodge took the conversion and was unfortunate to hit the posts.

A second try for Accies quickly followed through winger Max Mair MacGregor’s conversion swung to the right and missed.

A third try followed through co-captain Murray Snodgrass, who snuck his way round the edges of the left wing to cross the whitewash. Hodge nailed the conversion to extend the lead (17-0).

Tension between the two sides became a little too much, with a scuffle breaking out in the right corner of Hive, it resulted in Loretto’s Harris Moodie Cook being shown a yellow card. Edinburgh Academy used the mismatch to their advantage with a quick attack inside Loretto’s 22, scoring through Struan Hansen. Hodge added the extras.

Despite Loretto applying the pressure to break into Academy’s half, the Edinburgh side continued to defend well and turn over to begin attacking again. After persistent attack inside Loretto’s 22, the defence was stretched. Hodge identified space on the right, putting in a crossfield kick to find Mair, who dotted down for his second try of the day. Hodge’s conversion was successful.

Loretto were quick to respond with a try of their own, utilising the power of their forward pack to pin the defence on the try line, before Giacomo Healey pierced his way across the line. Finlay Day nailed the conversion and Moodie Cook then returned to the field to bring Loretto back to 15.

Both sides continued to fit, with attack switching between the two sides until speedster Harris Woodward got his hands on the ball to tear up the left wing to score for Accies. Hodge’s conversion sailed through the sticks.

Accies continued to show their attacking flare and quickly created themselves a three man advantage across the right wing, finding Mair who scored again for a hattrick. Hodge’s conversion fell short.

Ahead of the half-time whistle Accies Woodward powered across the try line. Hodge closed out the first 35 with a successful conversion.

Half-time: Edinburgh Academy 50 – 7 Loretto School

Accies were first on the board for the second half, scoring through Struan Hanson. Hodge added the extras.

With the match reaching a 50-point margin, as per competition rules, the remainder of the match was played out as a friendly but the final scored remained 57-7.

Edinburgh Academy scored further tries in the friendly portion of the match through Henrique Mezentsev Santos, Mair, Weems Henry (2) and Woodward. Hodge successfully converted three kicks, whilst Freddie Murry converted once.

Loretto scored two further tries through Day and Moodie Cook. Day also converted successfully once.

Full-time: Edinburgh Academy 57 – 7 Loretto School

Player of the Match: Ben Hodge (Edinburgh Academy)

In the U18 Bowl Final between Lomond & Helensburgh vs Morrisons Academy/Crieff & Stathearn it was Lomond who took an early lead in the first 15 minutes of the game thanks to a try by number eight Hugh Aogostinelli.

Ten minutes later Morrisons Academy got on the scoreboard thanks to a powerful run from winger Thomas Donaldson Smith which was converted by fullback Euan Barr.

They extended their lead further only five minutes later thanks to a try from James Ewing with the extra’s added by Barr.

Half-time: Lomond & Helensburgh 05-14 Morrisons Academy/Crieff & Strathearn

After half-time Lomond hit back thanks to a try from second row Isaac Lang. Only moments later Morrisons extended their lead thanks to a successful penalty kick at gaol by Barr.

Ten minutes later Lomond made it 17-17 thanks to a well worked second try by eventual POTM Aogostinelli which was converted by strand-off Struan Smith

Lomond took the lead for the first time in the game only moments later thanks to second try by second row Lang, expertly converted once again by Smith. 24017

The final score of the game cemented the win for Lomond thanks to a well worked try with the initial break coming from initially made by Agostinelli, to Lang which found its way to stand-off Smith to cross the whitewash with the final score converted by Ellis Fleming

Full-time: Lomond & Helensburgh 31-17 Morrisons Academy/Crieff & Strathearn

Player of the Match: Hugh Agostinelli (Lomond & Helensburgh)

Stewart’s Melville College overpowered Merchiston Castle School 21-12 to be crowned the coveted U16 Cup and U16 Open champions in main bowl at the national stadium.

Stewart’s Melville College drew first blood when Ruaridh Fraser forced his way over the line and converted his own try to take a seven-point lead to set the tone for the next 60 minutes.

Merchiston Castle School had a chance to get points on the board when they won a line-out five metres from the line but Stewart’s Melville were able to sweep it clear and hold onto their lead.

The boys in blue continued to test the opposition defence and were rewarded when scrumhalf Rory Blair found an inch of space to score right next to the posts. Jack Dunn made no mistake with the conversion to go all square (7-7).

Fraser spotted a gap in the field and packed the pace to run in his second try to double their lead 14-7 after slotting the conversion.

Jack Finlay was sent to the sin bin for repeated infringements, leaving Stewart’s Melville to defend with 14 men for the last ten minutes of the half but were able to hold their own until the whistle.

Half-time: Stewart’s Melville College 14-7 Merchiston Castle School

Merchiston started off the second half with strong intent but Stewart’s Melville were able hold their defensive line once again to win the penalty and steer clear of danger.

Both teams continued to knock on the door and find opportunities for points but twenty minutes into the second half, the score board still read 14-7.

Merchiston came alive when lock Nico Johnstone broke the line to bring them into their opponent’s 22 in an incredible passage of play. Captain Calum Robertson’s leg drive edged him over the line for a try, but a missed conversion meant Merchiston still trailed by two points.

The elation was short-lived as Stewart’s Melville’s Jack Allen dotted down and Fraser added the extras, edging further ahead 21-12, a lead they managed to maintain right until the final whistle.

Full-time: Stewart’s Melville College 21-12 Merchiston Castle School

Player of the Match: Rory Finlayson (Stewart’s Melville College).

Fettes College emerged victorious from Hive Stadium, claiming the U18 Plate title from George Heriot’s in an enthralling battle.

It took some 15 minutes for the first try of the match to be scored, as Fettes and Heriot’s battled it out, taking play from coast to coast. Whilst Heriot’s came close to a try, it was Fettes who were first on the board after scrum-half Lucas Scott sniped from close range after his side were awarded a penalty some metres out from the whitewash. Captain George Muddiman converted the try for the extras.

Heriot’s responded well with the help of fantastic footwork from Sean Rodgers to position his side firmly inside Fettes 22. Powerful carrying work from the forwards saw Heriot’s gain precious ground, before number eight Daniel Reid powered over the whitewash. Captain Michael Sherriff added the extras to equalise.

The exchanges between Heriot’s and Fettes gave the crowd at Hive stadium much to be excited about with some fantastic tackles and creative attacking play across the board.

After regaining possession from Fettes exiting from their 22, Heriot’s Sherriff was straight under the ball and ready to attack, tricking Fettes and the crowd with a fantastic dummy pass before sprinting from the half-way line into the 22. After sustained pressure from Heriot’s, Fettes found themselves penalised at the breakdown. Heriot’s went quickly through the forwards, with Finlay Molyneux powering over the try line from close range. Tom Dweck converted the try for the extras.

Despite spending a good amount of time inside Heriot’s half for the final five minutes, Fettes couldn’t convert the pressure into points, and shortly the half-time whistle was blown.

Half-time: George Heriot’s 14 – 7 Fettes College

The opening 15 minutes of the second half were fraught, with errors costing both sides in their pursuit of points. Eventually the tides turned in favour of Fettes when fullback Tom Masson gathered a highball from inside his 22 and tore up the left wing to take play into Heriot’s 22. From there Fettes recycled quickly finding Cody Adams on the edge of the right wing, dotting down for five. Muddiman was unable to draw the scores, missing a difficult conversion.

Masson was quickly back on the rampage, cutting up Heriot’s defence with his evasive running, diving between the posts and give Fettes the lead. Muddiman converted with ease.

Within just a minute of the restart, Masson was back on the rampage and tearing into Heriot’s half. Winger Tommy Burnett Of Leys was hot on his heels in support and was slipped the ball just in time to score in the lefthand corner. Muddiman’s conversion was successful.

Fettes, buoyed by confidence from the previous two scores quickly found themselves back in striking range with a lineout on the five-metre line. The forward pack drove play to the line, with Lennan Robertson powering his way through the defence to claim the try. Muddiman missed the conversion.

Despite a final flurry from Heriot’s which saw Rory Willis score a try and narrow the deficit, it wasn’t enough to change the result.

Full-time: George Heriot’s 19 – 31 Fettes College

Player of the Match: Tom Masson, Fettes College

George Watson’s College secured the U18 Boys’ Schools Cup with a rampant display in the final half hour.

Strathallan School had nudged two points ahead just after the break, but the Edinburgh side scored 21 points from there to secure the silverware.

The scoring was started by George Watson’s, and came from a penalty kicked into the left corner. The forwards fought for the hard yards, and second row Oliver Richardson was the man to make the telling drive.

A second try came in four minutes. Strathallan worked their way to within five metres of the line, but then Ewan Johnston snatched a loose pass from the sky and tore down the right wing, making it all the way to the line. Angus Robson converted.

Strathallan then set up camp in the George Watson’s 22, and finally got over the line in the 31^st minute. Like the first Watson’s score, it was the forwards who got Strathallan over, with Jasper Fichtner-Irvine finishing from inches short. Finlay Anderson nailed the touchline conversion.

Half-time: Strathallan School 7-12 George Watson’s College

Strathallan got their second just after the interval. The break came down the right flank, and two phases later Matthew Herbert wrestled over the line. Anderson was again excellent from the tee to give the Perthshire outfit the lead.

But less than two minutes later, Watson’s were back in front, after they gathered their own restart and Matthew Denham made his way over on the left. Another fantastic touchline conversion went over, this time from Robson.

The Myreside school pulled two scores ahead with just under 20 minutes remaining. Strathallan’s lineout deep in their own 22 went awry, and Rory Tait was on hand to grab the ball and race to the line. Robson’s conversion went in off the post.

Watson’s were over again two minutes later. Robson broke through the middle, and two phases later Lewis King found space on the left wing, coasting to the line and running round under the posts. The extra two came this time from Luca Anderson.

Strathallan got one back with four minutes left, as Rory Dunn slid in just left of the posts after another period of sustained pressure. Dunn then converted his own score. But Watson’s saw it out with composure from there, deservedly claiming the U18 cup.

Full-time: Strathallan School 21-33 George Watson’s College

Player of the Match: Luca Anderson (George Watson’s College)