The opening day of the Merchiston Castle School U18 Rugby Festival saw sunshine, wind, rain, and everything in between, but across it all was some utterly outstanding rugby across the board.
It was a day that went right down to the wire, with every group having something on the line going into the final game – with the top two sides in each group progressing to the Trophy quarter finals, the bottom two to the Bowl.
It was an epic opening day, a wonderful display of rugby and excitement in an utterly majestic setting in one of the great cities in the world. Looking ahead to Day 2 and the quarter finals, the excitement is palpable.
Those Quarter Finals all take place tomorrow from 10am and you can see tomorrow’s action live, again through the NextGenXV YouTube Channel and through the links below.
Live Streaming
Day 1 Roundup
It was a stunning day of action, with the results unbelievably close. Not least in Group 3 where Mount St Mary’s College topped the log without conceding, but only won by a single score in each game. They were a model of consistency. Indeed the only side in the whole group to score more than once in a game were Stewart’s Melville, whose 19-3 victory over Norwich School in the final game saw them clinch a place in the Trophy competition alongside Mount St Mary’s, Norwich and Durham ending up in the Bowl despite doing little wrong all day.
It was a strong day overall for the Scottish sides, and in Group 4 in particular where both Glasgow Caledonians and Boroughmuir RFC made it through to the Trophy. Glasgow were on song throughout the day, winning three from three and looking strong throughout. Between Sherborne, Barnard Castle, and Boroughmuir though it was a real dogfight. Between the three all could still go through when Barnard Castle and Boroughmuir met in the last game of the day, it was an epic, going all the way to a last play Boroughmuir penalty that saw them go through to the Trophy, condemning Sherborne and Barnard Castle to the Plate.
Hosts Merchsiton Castle made it four out of five Scottish sides in the Trophy tomorrow as they won three from three in style to top Pool 1. It started with a 40-0 victory over Scarborough College in the opening game and they never really relented. Wycliffe College, Finborough, and Scarborough were left scrapping for second, and it was Finborough that claimed it, beating Wycliffe, giving Merchiston their toughest game of the pool, and beating Scarborough College to claim that crucial second Trophy spot.
Group 2 was an epic. Seaford looked home and hosed but then defeat to Dulwich College in their last game blew the group apart. Seaford were still odds on to finish top thanks to their superior points difference, but now Dulwich College looked most likely to join them. Edinburgh Reivers played Dame Allan’s in the final game, Dame Allan’s already knew they were in the Bowl but Edinburgh new a 35 point victory would see them into the Trophy in place of Dulwich. They gave it everything but in the end fell just short, winning 31-12, leaving Seaford and Dulwich as the top two – keep an eye on Seaford, they haven’t been on the live stream yet but have been brilliant.
Day 1 Final Group Standings – Saturday 12th October
| Pos | Group 1 | Group 2 | Group 3 | Group 4 |
| 1 | Merchiston Castle | Seaford College | Mount St Mary’s | Glasgow Caledonians |
| 2 | Finborough | Dulwich College | Stewart’s Melville | Boroughmuir RFC |
| 3 | Scarborough College | Edinburgh Reivers | Norwich | Sherborne |
| 4 | Wycliffe College | Dame Allan’s | Durham | Barnard Castle |
Day 2 Schedule – Sunday 13th October
After an epic opening day then, the attention turns to a massive second day where the tournament will be decided. All sides will play three games, with losing Trophy quarter finalists heading to the Plate semis, and losing Bowl quarter finalists to the Shield semis, losing semi finalists across all four competitions will play 3rdplace games.
The day opens at 10am with the Bowl and on Pitch 1 it will be a live North of England clash as Scarborough College take on Dame Allan’s, meanwhile on the Pitch 4 Live Stream Sherborne will take on Durham – a game between two of the oldest rugby sides in the world.
On Pitch 2 Edinburgh Reivers, who must be one of the favourites for the Bowl, take on Wyclife College, while Barnard Castle meet Norwich.
At 10.30am we move onto the Trophy and on Live on Pitch 1 it is the hosts and reigning champions Merchiston Castle up against one of English rugby’s biggest names, Dulwich College, it should be a cracker. The other live game, Pitch 4, is an all-Scottish affair as Stewart’s Melville and Glasgow Caledonians go head to head.
Over on Pitch 2 Seaford College will continue to slip under the radar as they take on Finborough, a massive game – both sides have had narrow victories over St Joseph’s College this season, while over on Pitch 3 Mount St Mary’s College take on Boroughmuir RFC, which promises to be a cracker.
It has been an incredible opening day, and it feels as though it is only going to get better as we move into day 2. The Merchiston Castle School U18 Rugby Festival is living up to the hype!
| Time | Pitch 1 | Pitch 2 | Pitch 3 | Pitch 4 |
| 10.00 Bowl QFs | Scarborough v Dame Allan’s | Edinburgh Reivers v Wycliffe College | Norwich v Barnard Castle | Sherborne v Durham |
| 10.30 Trophy QFs | Merchiston Castle v Dulwich College | Seaford College v Finborough | Mount St Mary’s v Boroughmuir | Stewart’s Melville v Glasgow Caley |
| 11.00 | Bowl SF 1: W QF1 v W QF3 | Shield SF 1: Loser QF1 v Loser QF3 | Shield SF 2: Loser QF2 v Loser QF4 | Bowl SF 2: W QF2 v W QF4 |
| 11.30 | Trophy SF1: W QF1 v W QF3 | Plate SF1: Loser QF1 v Loser QF3 | Plate SF2: Loser QF2 v Loser QF4 | Trophy SF2: W QF2 v W QF4 |
| 12.00 | 15th Place Play Off | Shield Final | 11th Place Play Off | Bowl Final |
| 12.30 | 3rd Place Play Off | Plate Final | No Game | 7th Place Play Off |
| 13.00 | Trophy Final | No Game | No Game | No Game |
