Edinburgh secure age-grade double at Broadwood
15 Oct 2018
Edinburgh’s U16 and U18 sides overcame their west counterparts at Broadwood Stadium yesterday in the opening fixtures of the Junior 1872 Cup.
Scotland’s brightest young prospects from the four Fosroc Academy regions have been aligned to the nation’s two professional clubs for the first series of the Junior 1872 Cup fixtures. Edinburgh and The Borders & East Lothian are aligned to Edinburgh Rugby, while Caledonia and Glasgow & the West are aligned to Glasgow Warriors.
Glasgow Warriors U16 v Edinburgh U16
Edinburgh U16 got the afternoon underway with a comprehensive nine-try victory over Glasgow Warriors U16 [19-59].
The east side got off to a strong start dominating the early exchanges, and it wasn’t long until captain Robert Gordon broke the defence line to score two tries, with Matt Russell converting both scores.
A brace of tries by Rudi Brown, Finn Douglas and Zack Smith (with two conversions by Russell) helped to extend Edinburgh’s early lead.
Edinburgh second-row, Teddy Thomson, looked dangerous whenever he had possession of the ball and scored two impressive tries within the first-half of the game (one converted by Russell) [0-45].
As the clock approached half-time, Glasgow Warriors’ pressure and persistence soon came to fruition when Archie Falconer weaved his way past the defence to put the first points on the board for the west side [7-45].
It was a brighter start from Glasgow Warriors in the second half as they were able to build a greater share of possession, however, the side struggled to craft the all-important breakthrough.
Edinburgh launched themselves back into action, and on the 50th minute Cameron Thompson scampered over the line to add to Edinburgh’s tally [7-52].
Glasgow Warriors rallied and a series of slick passes allowed Nairn Calder to power over the whitewash, with Adam Wight adding the extras [14-52].
Edinburgh retaliated and were able to hit their stride again when Thomson scored another try to complete his hat-trick of the day, with Russell finding target through the posts [14-59].
In the closing stages of the game, Glasgow Warriors were able to put pressure on the Edinburgh defence and capitalised when Calder sprinted over the line for his second try of the game, however, the gap was too substantial to close and Edinburgh secured the victory in the first leg of the Junior 1872 Cup [19-59].
The U16 trophy will be contested over two legs, with the trophy awarded after the second round in Galashiels on Sunday 21 October and the winners decided on the aggregate score.
Glasgow Warriors U16 19-59 Edinburgh U16
Glasgow Warriors U16: Tries – Nairn Calder (2), Archie Falconer. Con: Adam Wight (2)
Edinburgh U16: Tries – Robert Gordon (2), Rudi Brown, Teddy Thomson (3), Finn Douglas, Zach Smith, Cameron Thompson. Con: Matt Russell (7)
Glasgow Warriors U18 v Edinburgh U18
Edinburgh were a force to be reckoned with in the opening period of the game, with scrum-half Jamie Dobie and centre Scott King crossing the whitewash within the first six minutes of the game (with Harry Patterson converting one score) [0-12].
Glasgow Warriors battled valiantly and were able to narrow the gap on the scoreboard when Jordan Craig carved through the defence to score, with a successful conversion by Adam Scott [7-12].
Edinburgh’s efficiency in attack gave them the upper hand for the remainder of the first-half, as Callum Anderson stretched the lead after crossing the whitewash, with Patterson converting the score [7-19].
Trystan Andrews ignited the attack for his side’s next try as the number 8 made a clear break before off-loading to Dobie who raced over the line for his second try, with Patterson adding the extras [7-26].
The game ebbed and flowed following the start of the second-half, with no side taking full control, however, Edinburgh were eventually able to assert their control of the game when Michael Jones bustled through the defence to score [7-31].
Glasgow Warriors proved resilient and composed when they rallied and salvaged a score through Finlay Callaghan, however, their retort was too late and Edinburgh claimed the Junior 1872 Cup [12-31].
Glasgow Warriors U18 12-31 Edinburgh U18
Glasgow Warriors U18: Tries – Jordan Craig, Finlay Callaghan. Con: Adam Scott.
Edinburgh U18: Tries – Jamie Dobie (2), Scott King, Callum Anderson, Michael Jones. Con: Harry Patterson (3).
Player of the Match: Callum Anderson (Edinburgh U18)
