Edinburgh triumph in U20 1872 Cup

The match – which pitched the composite sides of the Edinburgh and Borders & East Lothian against Glasgow & the West and Caledonia – belied the conditions to deliver an entertaining fixture at on the Fairydean 3G pitch.

With rain teeming down unabated, both sides strived to play the game in a positive manner from the off, with Edinburgh ultimately coming out on top.

Glasgow’s dominance in the lineout, both on their own throw and when challenging that of their opponents, was offset by a number of handling errors, forced in the main through some excellent defence from their opponents.

A break from Dean Anderson would have given Edinburgh the perfect start were it not for great cover tackle by fellow winger Max Priestly but they were not to be denied for much longer.

The side from the capital took the lead in some style, feeding through the hands before full-back Callum Pate sold a lovely dummy to go over in the corner, with the conversion from Paul Cunningham just failing to hit its target.

Glasgow’s own pressure saw them make a first sustained foray into Edinburgh territory, forcing a knock-on and a scrum within the 22.

Despite being in a great attacking position, the young Warriors fumbled in slippery conditions to cede a scrum and let Edinburgh off the hook. Such a high error count was justifiable given the constant deluge as both sides had to adapt to for the game’s entirety.

Scrum-half Kyle McGhie launched a successful long-range penalty attempt that kissed the post before nudging over to extend Edinburgh’s lead to eight points.

Glasgow hauled themselves back into contention when live wire scrum-half Sandy Greig burrowed over from close range after sustained work from his pack, Adam Scott adding the extras to cut the deficit to one point.

A superb, crunching tackle from Glasgow’s Priestly saved another try, albeit momentarily as Edinburgh winger Scott Robeson crossed the whitewash, the score given after consultation between referee Ross Mabon and his assistant referee. Cunningham again went close with his conversion attempt, which saw the teams come in at half-time with Edinburgh leading 13-7.

Half–time: Edinburgh U20 13-7 Glasgow Warriors U20

Edinburgh began the second-half where they had left off, opting for consecutive scrum penalties from five yards as they sought to tire Glasgow up front and build their lead further. The tactic reaped just reward when scrum-half McGhie crashed over and Cunningham added the extras to make it 20-7.

Edinburgh appeared to be managing the conditions a little better than Glasgow but with the rain refusing to relent, the game’s error count began to grow as the heavens continued to do their worst.

Some Glasgow skulduggery on their own 22 led to an easy penalty attempt for Cunningham, who slotted home against the backdrop of stair-rods to make it a 16-point match and effectively end any chance of a comeback.

Full–time: Edinburgh U20 (13) 23-7 (7) Glasgow Warriors U20

EDINBURGH: Callum Pate (Haddington); Dean Anderson (Merchiston Castle School), Matthew Kindness (Kelso), Paul Cunningham (Watsonians), Scott Robeson (Heriot’s); Liam Herdman (Kelso), Kyle McGhie (Musselburgh); Jake Fairley (Melrose), James Johnston (Preston Lodge), Mak Wilson (Melrose RFC), Kieran Watt (Watsonians), Jack Fisher (Preston Lodge), Gavin Inkster (Boroughmuir), Eck Allan (Preston Lodge), Harri Morris (Melrose). Replacements: Robbie Simpson (The Edinburgh Academy/Edinburgh Accies), Cole Lamberton (Royal High School), Francis Fraser (Stewart’s Melville), Ethan Deakin (Duns), Paul Bogie (Boroughmuir), Seb Smith (Dundee University/Heriot’s), Chris Bell (Watsonians), Vangjel Kacori (Ross High).

GLASGOW WARRIORS: Adam Scott (GHA); Jordan Craig (Hamilton Bulls), Matthew Stewart (Glasgow Hawks ), Andrew Hughes (GHA), Max Priestly (Glasgow Hawks); Joseph Strain (Glasgow Hawks), Sandy Greig (Glasgow Hawks); Jamie Drummond (Marr), Scott Clelland (Ayr), George Breese (Stirling County), Jamie Campbell (Kelvinside Academy), Tom Morris (Aberdeen University), Cameron Cobbett (Hartpury College), Josh King (Stirling County), Rory Jackson (Ayr). Replacements: Cameron Shaw (Stirling County), Luca Allessandri (Cartha Queens Park), Craig Miller (Ayr), Luke McCutcheon (GHA), Cameron Bullard (Exeter University), Adam Morrison (Gordonians), Kristian Kay (Stirling County), Cameron Purdham (Dollar Academy), Murray Godsman (Glasgow Hawks), Mikey Heron (Stirling County).