Young Scots suffer double defeat in inaugural U18 fixtures

19 Feb 2018

Scotland’s home-based U18 players were defeated by their Welsh counterparts in an inaugural set of age-grade fixtures at Oriam on Sunday (18 February).

Scotland’s East U18 and West U18 sides – made up of the four BT Sport Academy Regions of the Borders & East Lothian and Edinburgh (representing East), and Caledonia and Glasgow & the West (representing West) faced Wales Celts U18 and Wales Druids U18 at Oriam, Scotland’s Sports Performance Centre and the training base of the senior men and women’s teams.

Scotland East U18 faced Wales Celts U18, in a game that featured tries from both sides.

Rory Jackson (2) and Ben Marshall (4) scored for the Scots, however it was the visitors who came out on top with Ioan Ryhs Davis, Callum James and Ioan Davies all getting the ball over the line on two occasions for Celts.

This was backed up with another try from Gethin Davies and thee conversions by Ben Carter, producing a 41-10 win for the visitors.

The Druids followed their compatriots with a flurry of tries later that afternoon against Scotland West U18, finishing the game 53-0.

The fixtures were the first cross-border regional representative matches to take place for several years and the first to happen against Welsh opposition, as part of growing fixture schedule for aspiring young rugby players that provide further, intensified competition ahead of international age-grade selection.

East U18: 15 Rufus McLean (Merchiston CS); 14 Callum Hoffie (GWC), 13 Matthew Currie (Merchiston CS), 12 Matthew Kindness (Borders College / Kelso RFC)*, 11 Jack Blain (Stewarts Melville College)*; 10 Cameron Scott (GWC) 9 Jamie Dobie (Merchiston CS)*; 1 Thomas Jeffrey (Borders College / Peebles RFC)*, 2 Rory Jackson (Edinburgh Academy), 3 Dan Gamble (Merchiston CS/ Kelso RFC)*, 4 Ben Marshall (GWC), 5 Kieran Watt (Watsonians RFC), 6 Tyler Thomas (Merchiston CS), 7 Eck Allan (North Berwick HS / RFC), 8 Cammy Brown (Kelso RFC). Substitutes: 16 Ed Kelman (Stewarts Melville College), 17 Finlay Miller (Trinty Academy / BATS), 18 Mak Wilson (Duns RFC)*, 19 Struan Whittaker (Trinty Academy / BATS), 20 Gavin Inskter (Boroughmuir RFC), 21 Kyle McGhie (Loretto School), 22 Dean Anderson (Merchiston CS), 23 Nathan Brown (Stewarts Melville College).

West U18: 15 Mully Bannerman (Hawick); 14 Finlay Laird (Strathallan School), 13 Ollie Smith (Strathallan School) , 12 Mathew Stewart (Biggar RFC)*, 11 Jacob Henry (Highland RFC)*; 10 Joseph Strain (Ayr RFC), 9 Luhann Kotze (Biggar RFC)*; 1 Chris Lynas (St Aloysius College), 2 Scott Clelland (Ayr RFC)*, 3 Scott Bell (Kelvinside Academy), 4 Tom Morris (Dollar Academy), 5 Allan Ferrie (Newton Stewart RFC), 6 Ross Milne (Dundee HSFP), 7 Lewis Stewart (Biggar RFC), 8 Gavin Wilson (Dumfries Saints RFC)*. Sustitutes: 16 Jamie Drummond (Cumnock RFC), 17 Declan Bryce (Ayr RFC), 18 Craig Miller (Ayr RFC), 19 Callum Coats (Glasgow High School), 20 Robert McNaught (Glasgow Academy), 21 Ross McCorkindale (Strathallan School), 22 Jordan Miller (Dollar Academy), 23 Struan Robertson (Strathallan School), 24 Cairn Ramsay (Strathallan School), 25 Rafe Housten (Glenalmond).