Netball

Tuesday after school was a very exciting day with the P7s, S1s and S2s playing their first ever competitive friendly netball fixture. Team RGC were against Albyn and all the girls had great fun putting into practice everything they have covered in training. They also enjoyed playing different positions and learning the rules of the game. We can't wait to play another match again soon. 

Golf

A brand new co-curricular club started this week for aspiring golfers in the Junior School. A small group of pupils accompanied by Sports Coach, Mr Scorgie, travelled to Deeside Golf Club after school on Friday to receive lessons from the club’s professional. Golf is an increasingly popular sport amongst our younger pupils, demonstrated by the large number of pupils who expressed an interest in attending this club. We are delighted to be able to offer this opportunity for pupils to participate in a five week block of lessons to enable them to improve their skills.

Saturday at Countesswells 

Conditions were very challenging for our teams on Saturday with driving rain and blustery winds, however that did nothing to dampen the spirits of our rugby and hockey players who braved the elements to take on the various visiting teams. We welcomed local rugby teams Aberdeen Grammar and Aberdeen Wanderers along with St Leonards from St Andrews. Girls hockey this week was against Albyn and St Margaret's with the boys teams travelling away to High School of Dundee. 

Rugby

Both P6 teams put on their best performance of the season despite the weather conditions winning both games against Grammar. They demonstrated very aggressive defence with counter rucks leading to key scores. P7 once again had excellent turnout and played a mixed round robin tournament with Aberdeen Grammar. There was some excellent attack play and evidence that training is paying off with the boys more confident to make low leg tackles on a regular basis.

S1B’s had a double learning experience having to cope with the weather and their shy approach to contact. They managed to score against Wanderers and Grammar in their triangular tournament but struggled to shut down any attack. S1A had a really close game against St Leonard’s and traded tries until the last 10 minutes. Much improved physicality meant St Leonard’s had to work hard to gain territory. A few basic mistakes on ball presentation led to turnovers which ultimately decided the result of the game and St Leonard’s as winners. Mr Buckley was very pleased to report this was a very encouraging performance against a strong outfit.

The S2A match away against Deeside RFC was unfortunately cancelled at the last minute due to a flooded pitch while S2B won at home against St Leonard’s. Intensity and line speed forced mistakes and lots of turnovers but there was some very good, strong running in attack. S3 lost away against St Leonard’s in a very hard fought game which was 0-0 until 50 minutes in. We really stepped up with our contact in both attack and defence and are starting to get our attacking structure set.

S4 put in an up and down performance against Aberdeen Wanderers but ended up winning reasonably comfortably. We struggled to stick to our ambitious game plan in the rain but improved our accuracy in the second half to put the visitors under more pressure.

The 1st XV won away against a physical St Leonard’s, displaying our best defensive performance yet. Hats off to St Leonard’s for upping their game at the half, and both teams played the game in good spirits. It’s now five wins from five for the 1st XV, keep up the great work!

Girls Hockey

P7 had a tough morning with the challenging conditions but showed spirit and resilience throughout. Mrs Roberts played two mixed teams against St Margaret’s which meant 15 girls represented the school today. An early goal within the first minute from St Margaret’s unsettled the girls initially but they continued to work hard to score two goals but it was the stronger St Margaret’s team who were eventual winners. 

S1 had a slow start but once they had warmed up and settled into the game they played some fantastic hockey. They demonstrated lots of good passing and some excellent top D strikes which was exciting to see as they have been working hard on their hits in training. RGC won the match and credit goes to our goalies Emily and Ruth who each played a half for the opposition and had some fantastic saves!

In the S2A match, Albyn decided to play with 11 outfield players as they had no goalkeeper. RGC scored a goal in the first half and a further three in the second half where we played down the outside channel and got behind the opposition defence. Our passing and switch of play down the outside channel in the 2nd half was the most positive part of our game. 

S3 drew in their match against St Margaret’s. In a scene similar to the Humphrey Bogart classic Key Largo, the weather played a part in this early morning encounter. It felt as though a bar of soap was easier to keep hold of than the ball and both sides found it very difficult to keep the dazzie for any length of time. RGC did eke out a few good chances and on another day would have scored but there are days like these when things don't click into place. 

2nd XI continued their very positive start to the season with a far improved performance after the Dundee game before the holidays. They were again defensively excellent, always looking to play forward and be dynamic in attack. RGC were two goals up at half time and Albyn decided to take off their GK and play with 11 so we took advantage of this decision and attacked from all directions. Mr Stuart reported that the girls have identified they often tire in the 2nd half but again there were huge positives to take from this match. They have scored 16 goals in three wins which is wonderful to watch.

In the 1st XI match vs Albyn, our girls showed their quality from the first whistle to the last. They had control of the game from the beginning to the end with us negating the Albyn long ball counter-attack style of play. Mr Stuart felt that RGC could have scored many more goals as they squandered some really clear chances but the positive side is they were making so many goal scoring opportunities which they just need to capitalise on next time. 

Boys Hockey

A youthful 1st XI played out a draw away against High School of Dundee. The team, featuring a number of debutants, started brightly and were rewarded with an early goal. Had it not been for our S3 goalkeeper playing for the opposition, the score line could have been higher. Dundee took the lead in the second half, after some scrappy play with no team taking real control of the ball. RGC fought hard to get back into the game, deservedly equalising late in the half. 

U15 Boys had a sluggish start away against High School of Dundee, struggling to make connections, leading to a high turnover rate and a lot of defending. RGC came out in the second half putting pressure on the opposition and while pushing for a goal, a counter attack caught us off guard with Dundee scoring. RGC controlled the next 10 minutes of the game leading to an equaliser but they struggled to convert chances and the game finished in a draw. This was a tough game for the boys but they demonstrated a great attitude to bring the game back from a goal down.

Football

It was great to have a football match back on the fixture list this week. The S4-6 boys have been training hard since the start of term under coach Mr Kirkwood. For the first time playing together as a senior side, the RGC boys put in an excellent performance against Gordonstoun in the 1st round of the Independent Schools League on Sunday. Gordonstoun were tough opponents and were a little unfortunate to be 3-0 down after the half. Credit to our boys for continuing to fight in the second half and going on to win the game in comfortable fashion.

Team of the Week

This week’s award goes to the S1 Girls Hockey team. This was decided not just on their 5-0 win at the weekend, but that they were from five different goal scorers, two of which were a direct result of training during the week. The girls showed sportsmanship by providing the GK's for both teams and managing to get 14 girls out in a seven a side fixture, with each getting half a game. Well done S1 girls!

For a full breakdown of this week’s results, please click here.