School sports: Edinburgh Academy in devastating form with runaway win

By ALAN LORIMER
Published on 18/09/2012 01:41

Title holders Edinburgh Academy made a powerful statement in the first round of the Brewin Dolphin Scottish Schools under-18 Cup on Saturday by sweeping past Fettes College with a 50-3 win to book their place in the quarter-finals alongside Glasgow winners, Hutchesons’ Grammar School.

Making an impressive debut for Edinburgh Academy was full back Gair Currie, who scored two tries. Alex Swan, a member of Academy’s cup winning side from last season also contributed well with six conversion goals, a long-range penalty goal and a try. Academy’s other try scorers were wingers Will Graham and Tom Salisbury, flanker Rory Simpson and centre Tom Grey who ran in two scores.

This Saturday, Edinburgh Academy are at home to Dundee High School, who showed a further return to their former strength with a 29-17 win over Dollar Academy at Mayfield to boost confidence for their cup game tomorrow against Robert Gordon’s College. Dundee will go in as favourites having defeated the Aberdeen school at the beginning of this season.

For their part, Dollar, who defeated South Schools last week, will want to rediscover their form for today’s first round cup match against Loretto. Also in Cup action today are last season’s runners-up, George Watson’s College, who are away to Strathallan and Merchiston, who also travel to Perthshire for their tie with Glenalmond College.

Merchiston, genuine cup contenders this season, continued their impressive season with a 45-19 over the Scottish Club champions, Stirling County, the Colinton school also winning their games at the other age levels to reverse the results from last year, when the Bridgehaugh side were victors.

The other first round matches are at New Anniesland tomorrow when Glasgow Academy, who lost 41-0 to Stewart’s-Melville College on Saturday, take on George Heriot’s School and at Inverleith on Saturday when Stewart’s-Melville College face St Aloysius College.

The absence of any state school in the cup continues to vex many in the Scottish game, who worry that a quality gap could grow and that the perception of rugby as a “posh” sport will embed itself. One solution to the absence of state schools in the cup could be for more composite sides to be formed.

Former Edinburgh coach Rob Moffat, now on the staff at Dollar, believes such initiatives should be considered. He said: “I want to see as many players as possible experiencing cup rugby and if this means they have to do it as a combined side, this is far more positive than not playing at all. Just throw the politics out the window and get on with it”.