Set to strengthen

Saturday’s matches at Goldenacre between George Heriot’s School and Melrose/earlston High School may have dipped under the radar of so-called official games, but they were nevertheless significant.

The Borderers, bar two players now at college, are Earlston High School boys and, moreover, mostly under-17s, but the coaching of this team is done through Melrose RFC. So this could be regarded as a school (Heriot’s) v club (Melrose) match – a fusion that is needed in Scotland if theeliteendoftheunder-18 game is to develop beyond a narrow sector.

In the event, Melrose/ Earlston High School pulled off a 24-19 win over Heriot’s with tries from Kieran Clark, Calum Folan, Roly Brett and Christian Townsend, the latter kicking two conversion goals. For Heriot’s, Leon Kiteley, Callum Anderson and Callum Shand scored tries, two of them converted by Campbell Murray.

“We welcome this kind of fixture,” said Melrose Development Officer and under-18 coach Ciaran Hogg. “Playing against boys who often train three or four times a week helps develop our players.”

An integration of schools and clubs at the top level is understood to be on the agenda right now. Both Stirling County and Ayr are believed to be pressing hard to join the elite tier of the schools conferences and if that were to happen their inclusion would make the top layer more meaningful, generating seven rounds rather than the current five.

Stirling flexed their muscles with a 58-7 win over a depleted Highland team, their ten-try haul featuring a hat-trick by No 8 Louie Kesson.

In the Shogun Conference Boroughmuir continued their undefeated run at under-18 level with a 64-5 victory against Hamilton, wing Finlay Devine scoring three tries and back row Charlie Farmer two touchdowns, in a match that again emphasised the need to recalibrate under-18 competitive rugby.