Today, 3 of the Mackie U14 girls travelled to the latest of the Girls festivals, hosted by Montrose Rugby Club. The weather threatened to be cold and wet, with a very fresh wind, however the rain held off throughout.

Teams attending travelled in from all over the Caledonian Region, from Stirling up to Inverness. Paired up with Strathmore's U14 girls, our U14s soon made themselves known, including Helen being nominated Captain for the day.

The Girls exhibited some fine running with ball in hand, winning collisions and making territory on every carry. Unfortunately in Game 1, that didn't translate to points until the last play of the game. During the debrief, the Girls identified they needed to improve supporting speed in the Ruck as well as a general bolstering of their defensive efforts. Games 2 & 3 saw a huge improvement in those areas, with less turnovers and tries against Strathmore/Mackie, whilst more of the team contributed to the scoring.

The final game saw the team go up against a well drilled Highland team, however the Girls had set themselves up with an excellent game plan, which they stuck to, scoring more than they conceded. This didn't last the whole game, with Highlands cohesiveness as a team, helping to exploit gaps in the Strathmore/Mackie lines, scoring in the wide channels.

Smiles all round at the end, with new rugby friends made. A massive thanks to the parents that transported the Girls to Montrose and home again, despite the very fresh breeze.

Derek Nutten, U14 Girls Coach