1stXV beat Merchiston

The first ten days of term have been really productive for this group of boys, and it has been fantastic to see the way they have come together, worked hard and with over half the team being a year young, the learning curve has been a steep one! U11 rugby is very different, and yet alongside a small Form 8, they have gelled in to a really impressive unit and although it is early days, there is a huge amount of potential within this squad, and Mr Stephen and I are really excited and encouraged about the next few months!

First up, Merchiston, which is not ideal as year in year out, they are always our toughest opponents and this year was no different as both teams played some fantastic rugby, no holes barred and after a hugely entertaining and physical encounter, we deservedly just edged it by a single try! Phew……I had no nails left by the end, nor did any of the large crowd of spectators who came along to watch the game.

We won the toss and we opted to play down the slight hill in the first half, but for the first five minutes we could not get hold of the ball: Merchiston dominated the breakdown as we failed to commit numbers and compete for the ball, they moved the ball well through the hands and looked to get the ball out in to the wide channels to really stretch our defence. That said, we were solid in defence with Theo in particular putting in some textbook tackles out on the wing, but eventually the gap appeared and they went over in the corner; not the ideal start it must be said!

It says a lot about this group, that they put this behind them and for the rest of the half, we dominated possession and territory and time and time again, we threated the Merchiston line. We started to work harder at the breakdown, which meant Miguel and Lochy could get the back line moving, and it was good to see Johnny and Jamie working hard at the edges of the ruck, getting us over the gainline and closer and closer to the try line. Jamie levelled the scores by diving over from close range after lots of excellent recycling by the forwards, and we scored again almost immediately with some lovely first phase lineout ball, Lochy on to Jamie who was positioned in the midfield, and straight to Monty who had pace to burn and went the edge to score a terrific try. Another close range try following some excellent ball retention through countless rucks meant we headed in to the break ahead, although we certainly left a couple of tries out there, just lacking the clinical finish although Merchiston did defend their line well.

The second half was a titanic struggle between two teams playing some excellent rugby both with and without the ball. The breakdown area was fiercely contested, with some outstanding jackaling from Hamish amongst others, but although we just kept our noses in front on the scoreboard, we could not deliver the killer punch and get two scores up to put the game to bed. We were called upon to make tackle after tackle as Merchi looked to break through, and Johnny had an immense game on debut, tackling anything that moved as well as carrying extremely well too; Leo and James M put in try saving tackles right at the death as Merchiston sniffed a final try to level the game, but our defensive line refused to buckle and we managed to hold on, just! And breathe......!

So 33-26, and our first win for 5 years against our fiercest of rivals and it was good to finally get over the line after some very close calls over the past few years. I felt we deserved the win and even though it was a bit too close for comfort, this young side showed a huge amount of courage and no little skill and the win will have given them real confidence for what lies ahead this season. The step up from U11 is massive, but the boys never once took a backward step in the face of a large and aggressive Merchi side, and although our inexperience showed once or twice, we never let our heads drop and I was so impressed at how we defended and the patience we showed going through ruck after ruck, keeping hold of possession and recycling again and again making excellent decisions at the base of the ruck, before Jamie dived over from short range four times in the match. But they were real team tries, and that is what we are looking to create this season, everyone playing their part and whoever scores the try in the end does not matter.

So lots to be pleased with, and when the final whistle went, you could sense the boys’ pleasure at having held on and got the win. Well deserved, and we shall continue to work hard in training, refining our attack and we go again next week against Fettes.

Well done, boys. It was pleasure watching you play today, working with things out and growing as a team……although I do not have many finger nails left!