Light Blues' Touch Paper Lit

A relatively calm and mild morning in Barnton greeted the boys as they turned up to face one the strongest state school teams in Edinburgh. They had played Royal High frequently in the past and been narrowly beaten every time. But following the recent good performances, the squad were confident it would be different today.

RH kicked off and it was well taken by Green, although a good chase saw him bundled into touch. RH won the lineout and cut through some soft defending to be stopped in the corner by great defence. Knox worked their way up the pitch, but soon after RH were on the attack again with their stand off pulling the strings. It didn't take long for a patched up defence, missing Jack who was out with an injury, to crack and RH jogged over for a try in the corner.

It was a poor start from Knox, but they pulled themselves together under the posts with Thomson encouraging the team to keep focussed and they would get back into the game. And they did.

Shortly after, Knox's front row power came through and they won a scrum against the head. They broke and after some good short drives from the forwards, the ball was released to the backs and a neat scissors move saw Macfarlane break clear, only for the referee to chalk the try off for a knock on as he touched it down. Knox kept the pressure up with Taylor making some strong runs and were over again shortly after only this time they couldn't get the ball down for the try.

RH were still trapped in their 22 though and eventually the pressure caused a crack in their strong defence. A penalty just short of the line, a quick tap was taken in by the forwards who recycled the ball allowing Wright to switch play to the blind side and Duke dived over for a well deserved try.

RH were quickly back into the game and broke down the left side with their big pacy winger. In stepped Fred Cunningham from full back to scythe him down with a try saving tackle.

Knox were now getting on top with their half backs, Wright and Paul Cunningham, managing the game and making it difficult for RH to settle. Knox's midfield defence was also beginning to tighten up and it was this defensive pressure from Macfarlane and Booth that forced a spillage from RH. Knox won the ball at the subsequent ruck and broke quickly down the blind side, releasing Dewar who showed a clean pair of heels to put Knox into the lead. Cunningham converted.

Half Time: Royal High 5 Knox Academy 12

Into the second half and into the breeze for Knox. RH are a very strong team with a big squad so Knox knew this would be tough as they have a small squad and no-one was left on the bench. However, straight from the kick off, Thomson snatched the ball and broke a couple of weak tackles for a soft score within seconds. This is becoming a good habit after doing the same thing a few weeks ago against PL.

RH were riled and playing with the wind were pushing Knox deep into their own half. They broke through after some good play only to be denied by a try saving tackle from Green who had moved to full back. However, the pressure was building and after a bit of good handling, RH were over for a try. The relatively simple conversion was missed meaning Knox still held a 7 point lead.

Knox then constructed their try of the season. After being pinned back in their own 22 by good kicking from RH, Knox decided to keep the ball in their hands and a succession of good tight drives with Taylor, Learmonth, McQuade and Middlemiss to the fore saw them edge up the park. The ball then was moved wide, again the ball was retained with great support work from Eadie and Sked. More short bursts by the forwards and then moved wide again with Booth beginning to use his power to make good yards in the midfield. Play continued up the park, stretching the defence until Cunningham took the ball at pace, moved it wide once more and Dewar got under the posts for a converted try. A fantastic score with the ball retained for way over 10 phases of play which is exceptional at this age group.

RH were not to about to crumble though and they brought on fresh legs against a tiring Knox team. This time a simple chip through wasn't dealt with and their winger pounced for an easy try. Again the conversion was missed which meant Knox held a 9 point lead.

Whilst Knox were tiring, they were determined not to let their chance slip and went back to their pack to keep making short yards, phase after phase. Once again they worked their way up into the opposing 22 and moved the ball wide to Thomson who released Elliot, but play was stopped close to the line. From the scrum, Cunningham took the ball at pace, threw a dummy scissors, popped to the supporting Booth who shipped it on to Dewar to complete his hat trick in the corner.

There was still 9 minutes to go, but Knox held a 14 point lead. Attack after attack came in from RH, but Knox's tackling held out. There were a few loose kicks creeping into Knox's game and from one of these, RH got the ball to their strongest runner who stepped his way through a tiring defence to score a good individual try in the corner.

However, there was now only 1 minute left and Knox were still 9 points in the lead and were able to close out the game in the opposition's half to seal their first win against RH.

Final Score: Royal High 20 Knox Academy 29

This was a sensational performance that had been brewing for a few weeks. All the hours of training in the cold, working on handling, tackling, lineouts and backs moves is paying off as they are now able to compete and win against the best teams. What is even more pleasing is the positive attitude and belief they now have in themselves as they have matured over the course of this season playing a true 15 man game of rugby. The boys and the school can be really proud of this team.

Coaches, parents and the boys were delighted and are now looking forward to taking on Merchiston Castle on Tuesday. Hopefully, with a few more players coming to training or trying rugby for the first time, we can build more strength in depth around the core of this great team.