Having already played Merchiston earlier in the season and lost convincingly in the September sunshine that seems such a long time ago, this afternoon, on a cold, foggy November afternoon over in Colinton, we had a chance to see how far we have come as a team.  Having executed a fantastic game plan on Thursday afternoon against Aysgarth, we fine tuned things this week, and although we knew we would be up against a physical and very talented side, we also new that we had the skills and ability to cause them some trouble, which we certainly did. We gifted them a try at the very start by taking a poor option at the kick off, but after that, we controlled possession, we made good decisions at the breakdown and ran some excellent lines out wide, only to be denied again and again by some ferocious Merchiston defence; in many ways, this was the patter of the entire match as we enjoyed over 60% of the ball but just lacked that game breaker to finish things off which is nobody's fault, just a fact!  As we looked to be about to score, another flurry of defence led to a turnover right on the line and we were thwarted.  We really did deserve to score to be honest, led by some hard running from Freddie, Zak and Thabo and then with Charles and Conrad directing operations in the midfield; Rafa made some big holes when put through nice and straight, but at times, we ate up his space, but Kit and Felix all did good work when the ball was kicked through, running the ball back well which allowed us to regroup, recycle and go again.  Seven tries were conceded, but it never felt THAT sort of game to be honest and both of us were very proud of how the boys played at the final whistle when, yet again, we were cruelly denied by inches!

So, just one more trip to the well. Fettes. Monday. It has been a season where we have played some really impressive rugby and made huge strides, both as individuals but more importantly, as a team collective. The rugby we have played week in, week out, both in victory and defeat, has been of the highest quality and we have played rugby as it should be played at this level. Just play with a smile, enjoy the experience, take risks and play what is in front of you: these attributes will serve you well as your rugby careers develop at senior school over the next few years.

But for now, one more trip to the well, boys. You deserve a fitting finale on Monday afternoon.