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Scottish 45 – Barnes 7
On a frosty January morning at King’s House Sports Ground, the London Scottish U14s began their Waterfall Cup campaign in fine style with a dominant 45-7 victory over Barnes. With frozen grass pitches forcing the match onto astroturf, the faster surface only served to showcase the Scots’ fluid, dynamic style of rugby.
The day started with a warm welcome from the London Scottish Minis, who formed a lively guard of honour and cheered the U14s onto the field. Their support set the tone for what turned out to be an outstanding team performance.
First Half: Setting the Standard
Scottish began with a bang, asserting control through their dominant forwards and quick, incisive play in the backs. Jake, as always, led from the front at No. 8, driving the ball forward and putting Barnes on the back foot. Conor was relentless at the breakdown, securing turnovers and providing quick ball, while Max and Ben in the second row gave the pack both power and stability. Aleks played an important role in solidifying the set piece and gaining yards with ball in hand.
The backs quickly took advantage of the platform laid by the forwards. Alexandre opened the scoring with his trademark smooth running, weaving through defenders to touch down under the posts. Callum added the conversion to get the Scots off to a flying start.
Freddie was next to cross the line, using his strength and determination to power through the defence as first receiver. Another conversion from Callum extended the lead. Shortly after, a moment of quick thinking from Conor caught the Barnes defence napping at a penalty. His tap-and-go created the space for Ben to bulldoze over the line, capping a dominant first half. Barnes managed to respond with a converted try, but Scottish went into halftime firmly in control at 21-7.
Second Half: Ruthless and Clinical
The second half saw Scottish tighten their grip on the game. Mikolai struck early, driving over from close range after excellent build-up play from the forwards. The momentum continued with Callum showcasing his playmaking vision. A perfectly weighted grubber kick behind the Barnes defence was chased down by Eddie, whose lightning pace saw him touch down just before the ball rolled dead. Callum converted to further stretch the lead.
Rudy then added his name to the scoresheet with a brilliant solo effort, bursting through the midfield with pace and power to score under the posts. Another conversion from Callum pushed the scoreline to 38-7. The final try of the match went to Huck, who powered down the outside channel, evading multiple defenders to seal the victory.
All-Round Team Effort
This was a true team performance, with every player contributing to the victory. For the first time in a long while, we were able to field a full squad and it made a huge difference to the energy and physicality the team were able to show. Nico provided sterling cover at 9 for the ever-industrious Jean, while Lucas and Ted provided able support to supplement the power and running of Zebi in the back row. We are blessed with pace and ingenuity out wide, and Alexander McV, Josh and Devan came on for Devraj and Eddie, injecting some fresh legs in the wings just when we needed it.
Welcome to Alejandro
Special mention goes to Alejandro, who made his competitive debut for London Scottish on a short-term loan from Paraguay. Despite joining the team only recently, he slotted in seamlessly, contributing with solid defensive work and strong running. Alejandro’s positive attitude and enthusiasm were clear to see, and his presence added an exciting new dimension to the squad.
Alejandro’s debut is a reminder that London Scottish is always open to welcoming new players. Whether you’re an experienced player or trying rugby for the first time, there’s a place for everyone in our U14 squad.
Join the Action!
We’re always keen to welcome new players along to our U12, U13, and U14 squads. We train on Wednesday evenings (6:30–8:00 PM) and Sunday mornings (U12 9:30–11:30, U13–U14 11:30–13:30) at Kings House Sports Ground in Chiswick.
Interested in getting involved? Drop us a line at juniorsconvenor@londonscottish.com.
