14's Boys - East Kilbride
Scrum-believable! Running Rugby and Relentless Spirit See Oban Boys Roar Back to Winning Ways
Under the blazing Sunday sunshine, Oban Lorne U14s rolled into East Kilbride with one thing on their minds – a victory in their last game of the season. After last week’s bruising defeat to Cumnock, the boys came out fired up, full throttle, and absolutely flying from the first whistle!
With key stars Alex Ross and Quinn Soames back from the Scottish Rugby Union Player Development Programme, Oban looked like a side reborn. And from the opening exchanges, the visitors made it crystal clear they meant business.
The experienced quartet of Ross, Soames, Cormack MacDougall and Arran Goudy grabbed the game by the collar and never let go. Crunching tackles sent East Kilbride runners backwards, while wave after wave of green-and-red attack tore holes through the defence. It was power, pace and pure entertainment from start to finish (if you were an Oban fan!).
Captain Alex Ross led exactly the way captains should… spurring on his team, charging hard and brushing defenders aside with trademark strength and fierce determination, he bulldozed over for the opening try of the afternoon and set the tone for the onslaught to come.
Remarkably, despite only travelling with 14 players, Oban somehow looked like they had an extra man on the field all game long. Turnovers were won all over the pitch, with textbook jackalling by the boys, as they sped to the breakdown. Their support play was outstanding. Every line break seemed to come with a teammate glued to the runner’s shoulder, ready to take the offload and race clear. No one embodied that relentless energy more than Cormack MacDougall, who seemed to cover every blade of grass in East Kilbride. His tireless running and non-stop work rate earned him a superb hat-trick of tries.
Then there was Quinn Soames… simply electric.
The inside centre was untouchable at times, gliding across the pitch with elegance and confidence. Defenders were left grabbing at shadows as he side-stepped, swerved, spun and sprinted his way to a sensational FOUR-try haul. It was a brilliant showcase of just how much his game has developed this season.
Speedster Arran Goudy produced one of the moments of the match. Picking up the ball in heavy midfield traffic, he somehow sliced through a crowd of defenders before spotting daylight down the right wing. Once he hit top speed, nobody was laying a finger on him as he scorched in from halfway.
On the opposite wing, Daniel Luckhoff was a constant danger. After cutting inside and shrugging off a tackle, he exploded clear and galloped towards the posts like a Springbok gazelle, finishing in style beneath the uprights.
But this wasn’t all attack and glamour. East Kilbride fought hard throughout, with their powerful outside centre causing problems and grabbing a hat-trick of his own through some direct, powerful running.
That was until he met Caley D’Arcy.
In one of the biggest hits of the afternoon, D’Arcy planted his feet and chopped the charging runner down like an axe felling a giant oak tree. The huge “OOOHHH!” from the oppositionsideline — quickly followed by applause — said it all. A massive tackle and a brilliant moment of mutual respect.
As the game drew to a close, it was fitting that captain Ross had the final word. Powering over under the posts for his second try of the day, he bookended a dominant Oban performance and once again demonstrated the humble but fearless leadership that has clearly spread throughout this talented squad.
When the final whistle blew, the scoreboard read 63–31 to Oban Lorne — a scoreline that perfectly reflected the boys’ effort, intensity and teamwork. Tired bodies, huge smiles and endless laughter filled the three-hour bus journey home, as the sun set over Oban Bay after an unforgettable afternoon ofschoolboy rugby.
