Brief Reports on 1st XV Matches

24th January 2009
1st XV vs High School of Dundee
Win 31 - 0, played at home

• Frustrating 1st half saw Dundee dominate territory and possession
• On the one occasion we used the ball a good try was scored by  the returning captain Morrison  
• Second half was full of movement and a further 4 tries were scored
• Features of the forward play were the ball carrying of prop Bowerman and back row men Wishart and Lyons
• In the backs the running of Dearden on the wing and the penetration of centres Morrison and Ross caught the eye
• For one of the few times this season we hope to be at full strength for the Scottish Cup ¼ final tie v Fettes on Saturday 10.20 kick off
  

17th January 2009
Scottish Cup 5th round
1st XV vs Marr College
Win 58 - 10, played at home

• A very pleasing performance after the long lay off
• An excellent set piece platform enabled the team to play on the front foot
• Stand off Craig Smith had his best performance of the season mixing the game up well with intelligent kicking and varied passing combinations
• Tom Hogarth and Callum Wishart in the back row revelled in the open spaces of a fast flowing game and Peter Ross at inside centre has become a feature of our attack
• The hard training sessions put in to the build up for this part of the season clearly paid dividends as we were able to keep the intensity of play high throughout the game
• The ¼ final tie against Fettes College has yet to be finalised

6 December 2008
1st XV vs Fettes College
Loss 13 - 10, played away

• They adapted better to the conditions and dominated the physical exchanges in the 1st  half
• Although we played with greater commitment in the second half our lack of precision and poor tactical kicking was the difference between the sides
• A disappointing way to finish the term after the team had made such progress in recent weeks
• The next fixture will be our Scottish Schools Cup tie against Marr College on Saturday 17 January, 10.30am at Dollar

22 November 2008
1st XV vs Stewart's Melville College
Loss 29 - 0, played at home  

• A pleasing win against a powerful Gordon’s team
• Side was well led by Callum Wishart in the absence through injury of captain Courtenay Morrison 
• Full back Jamie Urquhart had an excellent game, along with scrum half Louis Crosbie and Flanker Tom Hogarth
• Pack coped well with a Gordon’s eight which had 3 Scottish squad members in the front row
• Our back line looked threatening and correct options were taken by Craig Smith at stand off
  

• Some weak tackling in the first half was heavily punished by a strong running Stew/Melville
• 22-3 down at half time the focus was on defensive organisation
• Gaps were plugged in the 2nd half and a very competitive 35 minutes took place with them having the final say with a converted try in the last play of the game
• They fully deserved the win although the score line did not reflect what was a very competitive game
• They match was played in a very good spirit  and some of the rugby was first class
• A fitting tribute to Grant Mackenzie(FP) who’s memorial trophy was being played for the first time.
  

11 November 2008
1st XV vs Edinburgh Academy
Win 8 - 5, played at home

• In front of the senior school, the 1st xv gave their most committed and disciplined performance of the season
• An outstanding effort from the pack led by Callum Wishart’s massive workload in defence and ball carry, laid the foundations for territorial advantage
• Captain Courtenay Morrison’s defensive work and trenchant running inspired the back line
• This was a genuine team effort from the boys who are developing the “winning habit”

8 November 2008
1st XV vs St. Aloysius
Win 19 - 12, played at home

• Poor first half where we gave penalties away whenever we gained territorial advantage
• Greater precision and discipline turned a 7-0 deficit into a 19-7 lead with tries from outside runners
• St Aloysius forwards had the last say with an unconverted try late in the game

1 November 2008
1st XV vs North Berwick High Shool
Win 36 - 19, played at home

• A beautiful morning with no wind and a dry ball suggested the perfect conditions for our style of play
• A strong first half performance where we dominated most phases of the game and were hardly out of our have gave us only a 15-5 lead
• Lack of concentration when near their line and some bizarre decision making when in our own half allowed them to keep in touch on the score board
• A strangely ragged performance with some excellent passages of play mixed in with some very poor basic skills and decision making
• However this team is starting to get the winning habit back
  

30 October 2008
1st XV vs Dunbar G S
Win 62 - 5

• Some excellent inter play between backs and forwards
• Quicker phase ball created more room for the outside runners
• Lack of concentration when line was available was only  disappointment in a very entertaining game

The 4th round of the Scottish Schools Cup has been drawn;  Dollar play Edinburgh Academy on Tuesday 11th  November 2.15pm at Dollar

14 October 2008
1st XV vs Glenalmond College
Draw 6 - 6, played away

• Very tight game with defences dominant
• Too many penalties given away at crucial times
• Massive improvement in our physicality
• Very committed performance from all
• Will rue missed opportunities in a game which could have been won but a draw was probably a fair result

11 October 2008
1st XV vs Loretto School
Win 39 - 0, played away

• Strong performance in good playing conditions
• For the first time this season the team were capable of putting width into their game
• A hat trick for left wing Jo Awuse an indication of our flow
• Good set piece and phase possession gave the backs front foot opportunities
• This was the closest to full strength we have been this season and it showed

4 October 2008
1st XV vs Glasgow High School
Loss 8 - 1, played at home

• Promising start( 8-0) against the elements was not maintained in the second half with the wind and rain at our backs
• Although our set piece was better we were second best in the contact areas
• Lacked patience once in their 22m
• Too many penalties given away at crucial times
• The team is getting in to the habit of losing which is effecting confidence

27 September 2008
1st XV vs Merchiston Castle School
Loss 0 - 43, played at home

• Well beaten by a better team
• Could not match the physicality of the Merchiston play both in the backs and forwards
• Struggled to create “front foot “ possession
• Too many half tackles allowed them to get behind our defence
• Clearly missing our most experienced players at a vital stage of the season

20 September 2008
1st XV vs Dundee High School
Loss 16 - 19, played away

• At 11-0 up after 30 minutes it looked as though we had continued where we had left off against Strathallan
• Very poor handling in the backs and no quality line-out ball meant that our attacks fizzled out
• Dundee grew in confidence and in the end deserved their win

16 September 2008
1st XV vs Strathallan
Win 13 - 0, played at home

• Signs of improvement with more players competing physically
• Good leadership from stand-in captain Lewis Crosbie
• Basic handling skills let us down when opportunities had been created

13 September 2008
1st XV vs Edinburgh Academy
Loss 3 - 20, played away

• Very disappointing start to the season
• This inexperienced side struggled to cope with the physicality of 1st team rugby