The Vikings U14s played their first Wednesday night fixture under the floodlights of Inverleith. The evening silence broken with the bangs of fireworks — a hint of the intensity to come.

The Vikings got off to a tough start with a couple of unlucky breaks, but they quickly snapped back into gear. Scrum-half Freddy
Graham spotted a gap in the defence and made a blistering run over half the pitch to score a try.

Unfortunately, Portobello responded in determined fashion, coming out firing in the next period and stringing together three quick tries to take control of the game.

The Vikings refused to roll over! Late in the second third, their persistence paid off as Graham powered over for his second try of the match after a sustained spell of pressure and strong teamwork from all the boys close to the oppositions try line.

Despite conceding a few more scores, the Vikings showed real grit, battling to the final whistle in an evenly matched final third where both sides fought hard for territory and momentum. Time, however, was not on the Vikings’ side.

It was a spirited and wholehearted performance — full of energy, fight, and flashes of brilliance