The U16s welcomed Dumfries Saints to Mayfield on a gloriously sunny Sunday in Dundee in the Quarter Finals of the National Youth Shield.

The conditions were pretty much perfect for rugby and the large crowd weren't left disappointed as both sides played out a cracking cup tie. It was Dumfries who troubled the scoreboard first with a converted try after only 3 minutes after some powerful work from their forwards. Dundee rallied well though and were more than a match for their National 1 opponents, and soon drew level as Matthew threw a little show and go from a ruck and touched down under the posts, with Euan adding the extras.

The first half continued to be a breathless, entertaining fixture, with Dumfries managing to nudge themselves back in front, again through some strong carrying from their forwards. Dundee again hit back though, with Matthew grabbing his second try of the afternoon, with Aidan just off target with the conversion.

The visitors looked to put themselves firmly in control towards the end of the first half with two very quick fire strikes nudging them fourteen points in front but, in the last play of the half, Aidan scored in the corner (unconverted) to reduce the deficit, a move which also saw Dumfries reduced to 14 players as a result of foul play. That was the final action of the half though, ending 17-26.

As the second half started, you'd have been forgiven for thinking it was the home side who were a player down, as Dumfries came out of the interval all guns blazing, with their forwards again causing all sorts of problems, scoring two unconverted tries in the opening six minutes to extend their lead out to nineteen points.

Not to be deterred, Dundee once again rallied and got themselves straight back into the tie, as Matthew grabbed his hat-trick with another excellent piece of play around the breakdown, with Euan adding the extras. It took just four minutes for the scoreboard to be troubled again, with Aidan grabbing his second of the afternoon after a wonderful flowing move to reduce the deficit to seven points (conversion missed).

The tie was firmly in the balance as the last ten minutes approached and you felt as if whoever scored next would likely come out on top. Cruelly for Dundee, it was Dumfries who got it just as it looked like it would go the other way. After a good initial line break, Dundee shipped the ball wide well but the final pass just didn't quite connect, and the visitors scooped it up and soon after got their score. A pivotal momentum swing in the game because if the final pass connects, Aidan likely scores under the posts to level the game.

Dundee continued to create chances and had opportunities to score again, but as they chased the game, it was the visitors who put the game beyond any doubt at all with only five minutes to go. A period of sustained pressure in the Dundee twenty two led to a quick tap penalty and a converted try.

Dumfries had time for one more, this time being awarded a penalty try in the final play, which also saw Max yellow carded for Dundee, for an infringement that denied Dumfries a try in the corner.

Final score: Dundee 29-55 Dumfries Saints

POTM: Matthew Tyler

"Not the result we wanted today but congratulations to Dumfries who will rightly be delighted with the win. I don't think the scoreline really reflects how close this cup tie was, and up until the final 10 minutes, I think it really could have gone either way.

Performance wise, I'm so proud of the boys. They worked their socks off in defence against a very big and physical side, and played some excellent rugby in attack with real positivity and belief. I think one or two breaks of the ball in the second half ended up being the difference.

More importantly for me though, the boys showed a real togetherness and desire to work hard for each other, even in the really tough moments. Everything was done with positivity and real belief, even when it looked like we were down and out in that second half.

Despite what the final score might suggest, we were more than a match for a side who, results wise, have been sweeping aside everyone in their path this season. Our challenge now is to find that consistency and that level of performance every week, and we get a great opportunity to do just that at home to Cambuslang next week."

Graeme Craig, Head Coach.