A stunning second day at the 2024 Merchiston Castle School U18 Rugby Festival saw the hosts, Merchiston Castle, lift the Trophy for the second year on the bounce.
It followed two brilliant days of play, the second played in glorious Scottish autumnal sunshine at the majestic setting that is Merchiston Castle, with sixteen superb sides in action over the weekend.
Day 1 had left Finborough, Seaford College, Dulwich College, Mount St Mary’s, Stewart Melville, Glasgow Caledonians, Boroughmuir, and the hosts Merchiston competing for the Trophy on Day 2, with the remaining eight sides, Barnard Castle, Durham, Edinburgh Reivers, Norwich, Dame Allan’s, Scarborough College, Wycliffe College, and Sherborne, competing for the Bowl.
It was tight throughout, as so often in the second day of these festivals. Day 1 tends to see a lot of open rugby, Day 2 with prizes on the line tends to see a tighter style of game. That was how it panned out, culminating in an epic and tense final between Merchiston Castle and Glasgow Caledonians.
It was a repeat of the 2024 final, it was a tight game then, Merchiston winning 14-5, but it was even closer this year. Glasgow Caledonians scored early, a brilliant piece of finishing in the corner for a 5-0 lead. That lead stuck to half time, before early in the second half Merchiston Castle struck back with a beautiful score, the magnificent Jack Dalziel with a between the legs pop, then a second touch for a gather and offload to release Fergus Foley for a run in. Skills we had become used to seeing from Dalziel, Henry Widdowson added the extras for a 7-5 lead.
From there it was a game packed with tension, Glasgow Caledonians piled on the pressure but somehow Merchiston held out. Skipper Ross Smart and player of the tournament Zander McTaggart came to the fore for the home side, tackling everything that moved, causing havoc at the breakdown whenever possible, and helping their side to hang on.
Eventually the dam burst, a penalty coughed up in the final play, but from a difficult angle it just edged wide for Glasgow Caledonians, earning Merchiston a deserved second title on the bounce – they had been the talk of the touchlines for much of the two days.
Another touchline favourite was Seaford College, the 2021 champions claimed third place with an emphatic victory over Boroughmuir after an utterly heartbreaking late semi final defeat to Glasgow Caledonians. For Boroughmuir perhaps just one game too many after an impressive showing from the clubside, but Seaford College were ruthless – look out for them at next week’s St Joseph’s Festival.
Dulwich College picked up the Plate after an impressive 16-0 victory over Finborough in the final, Dulwich had looked good throughout and only ended up in the Plate after a fantastic quarter final effort in defeat against Merchiston.
Over in the Bowl, things were tight, Norwich and Sherborne had made the semis with 8-5 and 6-5 victories respectively. Norwich ended up going all the way to the final where they would meet an Edinburgh Reivers side that had been so unlucky to miss out on a place in the Trophy on Saturday.
They used that disappointment to galvanise themselves though, with victories over Wycliffe College and Sherborne ahead of that final. The final was a tight one though, but the it was the local rather than travelling side that won it, Edinburgh taking the Bowl with a 7-3 victory. Durham meanwhile wrapped up the Shield thanks to a 15-7 victory over Barnard Castle in the final there.
Overall it was a magnificent two days of school rugby, showcasing these 16 different sides in all the glory, with superb action, inventive play, and no little drama. The spirit across the board was a sight to behold, and, with the Calcutta Cup in view, there was a sense that we were witnessing some tru future stars of English and Scottish rugby.
An outstanding Festival, and an outstanding champion side. Back to back for Merchiston Castle in the fourth year that this Trophy has been awarded, making the national tally Scotland 4, England 4. Fitting for a tournament that has brought together schools and clubs from both nations so brilliantly.
Merchiston Castle School U18 Rugby Festival Champions: Merchiston Castle
Plate Winners: Dulwich College
Bowl Winners: Edinburgh Reivers
Shield Winners: Durham
Final Standings:
1 Merchiston Castle
2 Glasgow Caledonians
3 Seaford College
4 Boroughmuir
5 Dulwich College
6 Finborough
7
8
9 Edinburgh Reivers
10 Norwich
11
12
13 Durham
14 Barnard Castle
15= Scarborough College, Wycliffe College
Day 2 Results – Sunday 13th October
| Time | Pitch 1 | Pitch 2 | Pitch 3 | Pitch 4 |
| 10.00 BQFs | Scarborough 7-17 Dame Allan | Norwich 8-5 Barnard Castle | Edinburgh 14-0 Wycliffe | Sherborne 6-5 Durham |
| 10.30 TQFs | Merchiston 12-10 Dulwich | Mount St Mary’s 12-17 Boroughmuir | Seaford 26-12 Finborough | Stewart’s Melville 0-12 Glasgow Caley |
| 11.00 B/SSF | Dame Allan’s 5-17 Norwich BSF | Scarborough 12-26 Barnard Castle SSF | Wycliffe 0-12 Durham SSF | Edinburgh 15-10 Sherborne BSF |
| 11.30 T/PSF | Merchiston 13-0 Boroughmuir TSF | Mount St Mary’s 7-10 Dulwich PSF | Finborough 12-0 Stew Mel PSF | Seaford 14-17 Glasgow Caley TSF |
| 12.00 | Scarborough 7-7 Wycliffe, 15th | Barnard Castle 7-15 Durham S Final | 11th Place Play Off | Norwich 3-7 Edinburgh B Final |
| 12.30 | 3rd Place Play Off | Dulwich 16-0 Finborough P Final | No Game | 7th Place Play Off |
| 13.00 | Merchiston 7-5 Glasgow: T Final | No Game | No Game | No Game |
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 Caley |
| 2 | Finborough | Dulwich College | Stewart’s Melville | Boroughmuir RFC |
| 3 | Scarborough Coll | Edinburgh Reivers | Norwich | Sherborne |
| 4 | Wycliffe College | Dame Allan’s | Durham | Barnard Castle |
