On a brisk autumnal afternoon, our 1^st XV made the trip over to Loretto, missing a number of key individuals away representing the Saltires. This was not as much of an issue as previous years, with the whole rugby squad away on what was a very successful tour to Yorkshire over the weekend. The game started with an early Loretto try, from a young man who would prove the difference between the sides on the day. Cargilfield rallied and were retaining the ball superbly, until a spilled ball allowed Loretto to race in for another. This was ultimately the theme of the first half, until we were able to squeeze into the corner for a score just before the break.

The break galvanised the spirit of the boys and they began to produce some outstanding rugby in both attack and defence. Rafa led the way in both attack, defence and showcased his leadership qualities to grab the game by the scruff of the neck and take on the Loretto defence, scoring two excellent tries. On a tough afternoon where the game got away from us, I couldn’t fault the effort of the boys. They’ve played a lot of rugby and can be very proud of all they have achieved over the last 10 days.