Combined teams Portobello RFC & Ross High RFC Un 18s defeat Preston Lodge/Haddington RFC
Sat 28th March saw combined teams Portobello/Ross High Un 18s and Preston Lodge/Haddington Un 18s come together in a winner takes all Edinburgh Shield Final.
Previous rounds had seen the Porty/Ross defeat all before, and even though PL/Hadd had lost one match, they had claimed a Bonus Point, and you thought the final weekend of the Six Nations was complicated!
While the sidelines were all working out the different "what if" scenarios, the players were only interested in winning!
PL/Hadd started very strong with the wind behind their backs. By all accounts it looked like the match was set up to be a match of two halves with the wind being the main factor. PL/Hadd certainly pressed their case hard, spending most of their time in the Porty/Ross half. Time and time again they threatened the home try line, mistakes, hard tackling and scramble defence all made their mark, and Porty/Ross defended like Wales against Ireland the week before. PL/Hadd certainly had an advantage in the scrum, but the wind almost made each lineout a lottery.
After defending for 30min, Joshua Jack made one of his classic breaks through the midfield from his own 22. After stepping twice, he pressed on the accelerator again and again as defenders rushed to catch him, fortunately for him and Porty/Ross he had enough in the tank to score the first points in the corner. With a failed conversion attempt, the teams turned round with Porty/Ross edging a small lead of 5-0.
With the wind advantage, Porty/Ross pressed their own attack, and PL/Hadd had their turn to work hard in defence. The tackles were taking their toll as each team was forced to make changes. Neither team was willing to give an inch. Every contact was contested, but with the slim lead under their belt Porty/Ross finally got their second try with Rhys Edgar going over on the 60min mark, and this time Peter Kinsley made it 12 - 0 with a successful conversion.
PL/Hadd were not for giving up, with 20min left they regrouped and started using their forward runners again and again. Both sidelines were nervous as this match was still anyone's. PL/Hadd went close on more than one occasion, but Porty/Ross scramble defence held, and took the match down to their opponents 22. Under pressure, the visitors gave away a kickable penalty in the 63rd minute. Peter Kinsley duly stepped up and completed the job. 15 - 0 to Porty/Ross.
Full credit to PL/Hadd as they continued to play good rugby, pressing for their own points. However, the clock was counting down, and when the final whistle was blown, both teams dared not stop, either to celebrate or commiserate, until the referee confirmed the match had ended. It was with real credit to PL/Hadd that the biggest cheer came from the sizeable crowd on the home touchline and not the players, as the players knew they had been in a match. Porty/Ross can be very proud of their four wins from four matches, scoring 131 points and only conceding 10.
That said, the celebrations started in earnest as Barry Sinclair from the Edinburgh Un 18s League handed over the Silver Plate to the victors. #AsOne
