Rugby: Academy faces blues with Madras

Sep 29 2009 by Gordon Bannerman, Perthshire Advertiser Tuesday

S1/2 0 Madras 15 S3/4 0 Madras 30

BOTH Academy Blues sides found it tough going against a well-drilled and physical Madras outfit on Saturday, September 18.

But the final results did not reflect the effort and attitude shown by those players who were representing the school.

Grove Academy 19 Perth Academy Blues 27 (Brewin Dolphin U15 Scottish Schools Cup Round 1)

THIS was a rollercoaster of a match as the Blues made the early running, with good pressure from the kick-off culminating in a well-deserved try.

Grove then fought hard to make amends, aided by some over-enthusiastic passing by the Blues inside their own 22 – which lead to an interception and Grove’s first try.

Good line breaks soon followed from the away side, but the efforts of the cover defences managed to deny any scores.

Grove started to gain territory and their strong centres broke through for another two tries before half-time, with the score 19-7 at the interval.

The Blues started the half badly, with a turnover close to the line resulting in 15 minutes of sustained pressure.

Stiff tackling by the Perth boys forced Grove back outside the 22, then a forced pass allowed the Blues to break out and drive their way up field.

Lewis Keeps came to the fore and made some terrific line breaks on his debut for the Murray Place school.

Fellow debutant Calum Sinclair impressed with some dynamic driving during the ruck, ensuring more possession for the backs.

The momentum shifted and the Blues started to drive hard into the heart of the Grove pack, gaining yards and releasing Steven Mott and Dale Robertson – who had the pace to cross the line three more times.

The strong forward effort forced another try late in the game, to cap a well-earned victory and secure progress into the next round.