Brief Reports on 1st XV Matches

The match at Murrayfield was the last game of the season for the 1st XV. Reports will therefore resume next season.

27 January 2005
Dollar Academy v High School of Dundee - Final of Scottish Schools Cup
Win 13 - 10, played at Murrayfield

1st XV Scottish Schools Cup Winners 2003, 2004 and 2005

• Congratulations to Dollar's 1st XV for their third successive championship title in the Bell Lawrie White Scottish Schools Rugby Cup.
• Dollar scored a 13-10 victory over the High School of Dundee at Murrayfield Stadium on Thursday 27th January. Dollar scored two tries in the first half (Captain Cameron Ferguson and lock Malcolm Peebles) against two tries from Dundee, one in the first half and one in the second. The only successful kick in the match - by Dollar full-back Nick Alston - brought the winning three points.
• This was a hard-fought contest after Dollar's quick, opening, chip-and-run try. Dollar had to defend hard as Dundee kept crossing the Dollar line in the final ten minutes; the boys were very successful in not giving away penalties at this crucial stage.
• Coach John Foster had nothing but praise for his weary team as the game ended and was particularly proud of their "demeanour in victory".
• Full reports of the match can be found in The Herald, The Scotsman, The Times and The Dundee Courier. A detailed account, along with video clips of key moments, can be found on the Scottish Rugby Union website.
• Attendance at Murrayfield was over 7000 for the Under 18 and Under 15 Finals. Thanks go to the sponsors Bell Lawrie White for the encouragement that they have given to schools rugby over the past 21 years. Thanks also to the Dollar supporters who travelled from far and wide.
  

22 January 2005
Dollar Academy v Glenalmond College - Semi final 0f Scottish Schools Cup
Win 16 - 14, played at Dunbar

• Venue moved on morning of match from Stirling County ground to Murrayfield back pitches to Dunbar because of frost. Excellent setting with sun, long grass and a warm club-house.
• Ten minutes into the game Dollar scrum-half Scott Borrowman broke from a scrum and dummied to put away the first try.
• Five minutes later Glenalmond were penalised for off-side and kicker Nick Alston took the score to 8-nil. A second penalty brought Dollar another three points five minutes later.
• Full-back Nick Alston sent a kick high into the air ten minutes before half-time and followed through to score a very convincing try, taking the score to 16-0.
• Dollar's lead was eroded shortly into the second half by a Glenalmond penalty.
• A strengthening north wind was now against Dollar and resulted in kicks which certainly favoured the opposition and induced something of a siege mentality.
• Hard work from the Glenalmond team and good handling by their backs led to Dollar being pinned down under pressure in their own half and a try from the opposition centre.
• Two further penalties to Glenalmond took the score to 16-14 and produced some very nervous parents, siblings and staff. Eventually relief came. "A very squeaky second half," commented seasoned supporter and sage Peter Kirkwood.
• Flanker Ollie Gilmartin received the Man of the Match Award from Marc Wilkinson, representing the sponsors Bell Lawrie White.
• Five members of the team - Malcolm Peebles, Nick Alston, Scott Paterson, Donald Sutherland, and Ollie Gilmartin - had older brothers who played for Dollar in the 2003 Cup Final.
• Coach John Foster was delighted by his team's success, particularly in view of the lack of match fitness because of weather conditions. He praised "the outstanding play, defensively and in attack" of scrum-half Scott Borrowman and in particular two key tackles. He is looking forward to Thursday's final and told Scotland on Sunday: "It's not a pedigree side, but the boys play with a lot of spirit."

15 January 2005
Dollar Academy v Gordonstoun School - Quarter final of Scottish Schools Cup
Win 47 - 3, played away

When the 1st XV made a half-way stop in Aviemore on their long trip north to Gordonstoun, the rain and gales did not promise well for the quarter-final of the Bell Lawrie White Scottish Schools Cup. When the bus arrived at its destination close to the shores of the Moray Firth, it was, however, more like a spring day with excellent conditions underfoot. Dollar's five outdoor training sessions during the Christmas break paid off - said coach John Foster - and the final score was convincingly in the visiting team's favour with captain Cameron Ferguson providing a strong sense of structure in the half-back department. Back-row forwards Ranald Baird and Ollie Gilmartin, now 100% fit, had powerful games, while right-wing Angus Armstrong scored two impressive tries in his first start for the team. The travelling supporters enjoyed their day out and the warm welcome they received from their hosts. The Rector has mow received an e-mail from a Gordonstoun governor congratulating both teams on their high standards of sportsmanship.

4 December 2004
Dollar Academy v Fettes College
Win 27 - 20, played away

• Difficult conditions (loss through injury of captain and key defensive organiser Cameron Ferguson) stopped Dollar from creating variety from the number 10 position.
• A "banana skin of a game" - the coach's words.
• Boys to be complimented on coping with the situation and beating one of the "form teams of the moment".
• Up until this Saturday no team had scored more than ten points against us. The final result showed the team's ability to come through.
• Fine performances from Ranald Baird (again), Malcolm Peebles (always in pursuit), Will Allman and New Zealander Robert Hall.
• Centre Alastair Robertson's intelligent play was a key factor in mopping up situations when the defence was compromised.

27 November 2004
Dollar Academy v Strathallan School
Win 34 - 0, played at home

• Appallingly wet conditions will have severely tested Mrs Borrowman's washing tips with Oxygel
• An outstanding first half
• The game deteriorated with the conditions
• Coach John Foster delighted that the opposition score sheet was kept to a zero

24 November 2004
Dollar Academy v The High School of Glasgow - 4th round of Scottish Schools Cup
Win 28 - 0, played at home

• A game of two halves. Dollar only 3 points up at half-time with much of the play in the Dollar half and Glasgow constantly applying pressure.
• In the first half, with all the Senior School out in support, the team were on edge and did not apply the necessary level of control. Players tried too hard, conscious as they were of the large crowd, and there was some poor decision-making.
• This was a real learning experience for the team on how to rise to the big occasion. A stern half-time talk from coach John Foster prepared the way for a better second half, marked by more accurate kicking and some sustained 'pick and go' surges within Glasgow territory. A second penalty made the score 6 - 0.
• As the heavier Glasgow pack tired, four tries followed from Malcolm Peebles (from a Ranald Baird steal in the line-out), Ranald Baird (as the Dollar pack pushed over the line), Matthew Pope and Scott Borrowman.
• Nick Alston once again had a commanding game with some well-placed kicks behind the Opposition defences. One particularly finely-calculated kick drifted over the try line to provide a fast-moving Pope with a successful score. Alston also scored two penalties and one conversion.
• It was a tired Dollar team that left the pitch. John Foster paid a special tribute to No8 Ranald Baird for "giving his all". The team came away from the match without any serious injuries.

Pictures of this match

13 November 2004
Dollar Academy v Stewart's Melville
Win 30 - 8, played away

• This was the team's strongest performance of the season and another step further in the right direction.
• The score of six tries to one mirrored the dominance and collective power of the team.
• Tactical decisions were spot-on and highlighted an ability to move the play into open space.
  

6 November 2004
Dollar Academy v St Aloysius'
Win 56 - 3, played at home

• "The important thing is that the team kept their pattern and their shape," said Coach John Foster.
• The St Aloysius XV made the Dollar team work hard to get their scores.
• In wet conditions much of the handling was exemplary; players were praised for keeping the rhythm of the game by not being tempted to carry the ball too far.
• Gordon McRorie, formerly of Morrison's Academy, very successfully stood in as scrum-half for Scott Borrowman who was on international golf duty.

3 November 2004
Dollar Academy v Glasgow Academy - 3rd round of Scottish Schools Cup
Win 41 - 7, played away

• Dollar's first match in the 2004-05 Bell Lawrie White Scottish Schools Cup competition resulted in a 41-7 away victory over Glasgow Academy. The Dollar team, winners of the Cup in March 2003 and 2004, went through automatically to this, the third round of the competition.
• The team enjoyed the opportunity to play in good conditions
• Some outstanding individual and collective runs led to seven tries being scored by the Dollar boys
• Side is unrecognisable from the one that played against Loretto in September
• Stand-off Cameron Ferguson and others made use of the dry ball to create successful long passes
• Well-drilled set pieces were the platform from which tries were scored
• In the line-out there was praise for Mark Nelson's throwing and Ranald Baird's dexterity
• When the ball found space, the coach's cry of "Let's play" became a refrain for the afternoon
• In this mid-week fixture we valued the substantial presence of parents and other supporters
  

12 October 2004
Dollar Academy 'A' XV v Glenalmond College
Win 20 - 0, played away

• Coach John Foster appreciated the courtesy of Glenalmond in agreeing to make this an "A" fixture as five of the regular Dollar players were absent for curricular reasons.
• Players who were brought in to fill places rose to the occasion, especially Stephen Bailey at centre and Nathan Skipper as flanker. The team played well because they managed to maintain their shape.
• Dollar managed to beat a Glenalmond team that on the previous Saturday had broken cup favourites George Watson's unbeaten record.

9 October 2004
Dollar Academy v Edinburgh Academy
Win 34 - 5, played away

• Dollar, playing away, faced a well-organised team who posed them some difficult questions and made everyone work hard. Coach John Foster praised his opposite number, Ed Saunders, who so consistently produces high quality opposition.
• After five minutes Dollar lost lock Alistair Scougal with a broken collarbone.
• Double try scorers were wing Matthew Pope and hooker Robert Hall, back from his recent injury. The most spectacular try was by stand-off Cameron Ferguson who took advantage of a loose line-out ball and a momentary pause in play to display his remarkable skills of coordination and decision-making.
• Full-back Nick Alston continues to be a very reliable kicker. A key contribution from this resolute tackler was in the second half when he "scythed down" an Edinburgh player who was heading for a certain score.
  

2 October 2004
Dollar Academy v The High School of Glasgow
Win 15 - 0, played away

• Match played in very poor weather with strong wind against Dollar in the first half.
• Coach John Foster described the game as "one to put behind us, although no heads will roll as yet".
• Foster was disappointed by what he saw individually and collectively as "the poorest performance this season". Only full-back Nick Alston performed to his potential, undertaking all the duties assigned to him.
• A crucial element in the game was the team's failure to come to terms with the referee's philosophy.
  

25 September 2004
Dollar Academy v Merchiston Castle School
Win 20 - 10, played at home

• The team played to their strengths, in particular the decision-making abilities of half-backs Scott Borrowman and Cameron Ferguson and back-row players Ranald Baird and Oliver Gilmartin.
• Hooker Mark Nelson capitalised on his work last season to produce efficient ball-winning line-outs.
• Tries by Donald Sutherland and Cameron Ferguson, but coach John Foster reserved his main praise for the highly committed defence.
• With limited reserves, there was some concern when new player Robert Hall from Rotorua High School, New Zealand went off injured at half-time.
• Self-belief of the team has grown as young players successfully tested themselves against former stars in the Leavers' Match. Foster's stage-by-stage approach was consolidated by victory in the previous week over High School of Dundee "who had slapped us in Form 3".
• Report in The Scotsman (28/9/04): "New-look Dollar Academy continue winning tradition.