Over the last few weeks, our U16 squad worked exceptionally hard to win against some very strong teams, including Dunbar Grammar School and Stewart’s Melville, to make their way to the final.
On arriving at Murrayfield, the Dollar boys warmed up on the main pitch before heading back to the changing rooms to prepare for the biggest game of their rugby careers to date.
The atmosphere in the stadium was excellent, and filled with Dollar supporters. Thirteen buses with over 500 Dollar pupils had arrived at Murrayfield to support the team.
The game kicked off and for the first ten minutes Merchiston were in control. Dollar defended during this time and eventually found themselves 3-0 down. The next twenty minutes of the game were very physical – Dollar held possession and after a succession of penalties they were rewarded with a try in the corner. The try was scored by Robbie (Form V), with the conversion, taken by Evan (Form IV), just missing.
Merchiston hit back almost immediately and took a 10-5 lead with three minutes to go to half time. Dollar tried to close out the half, but unfortunately conceded another try right on half time, leaving the half time score as 17-5 to Merchiston.
During the second half, our opposition remained in control and the final score was 41-5 to Merchiston.
At the end of the game, Dollar were disappointed but of course, the team should be very proud of what they have achieved this season – joint 1st place in the U16 Conference and Scottish Schools U16 Cup runners-up.
Thank you to Mr Emmison and Bob McKillop for all their hard work and help throughout this Cup and Conference campaign.
Thank you to Sebastian (Form III) for taking some excellent photos of our team and their supporters.
