Eastwood High and Wallace High progress to final

Eastwood High School and Wallace High School will contest the 2019 SP Energy Networks Warriors Championship final next month at Scotstoun after winning through yesterday's semi-final.

In a thrilling and high quality round of matches on the main pitch at Scotstoun, Eastwood and Wallace got the better of Lenzie Academy, Balfron High School and Largs Academy to seal a return to Scotstoun for the showpiece final on Saturday 27 April.

Wallace High School will be looking to go one better than last year when they finished runners-up whilst Eastwood High School make the final at the third time of asking.

Each school had three teams competing on Wednesday, an S1 and S2 boys’ team and an under-15s girls’ team, with 198 tries served up across 30 matches.

A dramatic late try from the Eastwood girls’ team which rescued a draw against Largs Academy in their last game ensured a place in April’s final at the expense of Balfron High School.

Relieved Eastwood PE teacher Gordon Reid said: “I didn’t think we had qualified but the last minute try from the girls proved crucial.

“It’s a fantastic achievement and I’m really delighted for the kids.

“The attitude is what pleased me most.

“We didn’t start well and we said to the players that they had to step-up to the mark in the last few games.

“The effort to grind out results at the end was brilliant.”

He continued: “It’s a tough tournament, most matches were really tight and it was good to see so much quality rugby on display.

“Our kids upped their game as they needed to for the semi-finals.

“Reaching the final is new ground for us, the matches with Wallace were tight so it should be an exciting final.”

Wallace High School lost just one of 12 matches all day as their S1 and Girls’ team went unbeaten.

“I’m really proud of them,” Wallace High School rugby coach Chris Jubb said.

“The kids put a lot of pressure on themselves to try and reach another final and I’m chuffed to bits for them.

“The girls were fantastic. They started slowly but got better as the day went on.

“They set high standards for the boys who knew they needed to reach that level of performance.”

He added: “All of them have worked very hard in the past few weeks and to experience another final at Scotstoun in front of a large crowd will be exciting.

“Anything can happen in a final but we have a fighting chance of getting over that last hurdle.

“We’ve been there before and the experience our girls and S2 boys have of playing a final last year might prove important.”

Lenzie Academy captain Juliet Mone was disappointed not to reach the final but loved competing in this year’s Warriors Championship.

The 13-year-old said: “It a really good tournament and I enjoy meeting pupils from other schools.

“A lot of girls’ teams are just starting up and this tournament is a great experience to get more game time.

“It’s good fun and I love the team spirit which you create playing rugby.”

The 2019 SP Energy Networks Warriors Championship final will be played on the main pitch at Scotstoun on Saturday 27 April, prior to Glasgow Warriors v Edinburgh Rugby.

ABOUT THE SP ENERGY NETWORKS WARRIORS CHAMPIONSHIP

At the beginning of the 2017/18 season Glasgow Warriors announced a landmark three-year partnership with SP Energy Networks which saw them become the club’s Official Community Partner.

SP Energy Networks, which operates across central and southern Scotland, are working with Glasgow Warriors on a wide-range of community initiatives, including the SP Energy Networks Warriors Championship.

More than 1,000 girls and boys from 25 schools have competed in this year’s competition which gives a platform to grassroots talent to display their skills at Scotstoun Stadium.