26th June 2025
The amateur Rugby League in Scotland is comprised of 4 sides: the Edinburgh Eagles (whose first round Challenge Cup tie against York Acorn in January 2022 I reported in An Ordinary Spectator Returns), Glasgow RL, the West End Warriors and the Forth Valley Vikings. They will play each other twice before the play-offs (involving all 4 teams) and Grand Final in August, the winners of which will enter the 2026 Challenge Cup.
The West End Warriors are a newly-formed club this year, but they have acquitted themselves well thus far: a narrow win over the Eagles and respectable 24-40 and 28-42 defeats to Glasgow and the Vikings, respectively. On Saturday, at the attractive ground of the West of Scotland FC rugby union club at Burnbrae, I caught up with the Warriors’ reverse fixture against the Vikings.
It was a totally different outcome compared with the first match. On a warm summer’s afternoon, the Warriors’ first possession saw Josh Walters handling twice in a move that led to a try under the posts by the prop forward Lachie Forsyth. Two further converted tries followed before the mid-half water break brought a temporary halt to proceedings at 18-0. By half-time, the score had stretched out to 36-0.
The two Warriors who stood out in broken play were Craig Colvin (who also maintained a 100 per cent conversion rate over the afternoon) and, especially, Walters. The latter’s distribution and running from acting half-back – plus his general lead in organising the side – marked him out as someone who was far from a novice at the sport. As, of course, he was not, his earlier professional career having included over 60 games for the Leeds Rhinos – including the 2015 Super League Grand Final – as well as a similar number of appearances in the Championship, most notably for Featherstone Rovers.
The Vikings did not give up. They came out firing in the second half and had the better of the play for the first quarter of an hour or so, being rewarded by a converted try by Taylor Paul. The lead was given by the scrum-capped Gregor Ramsay, who complemented an exhausting stint of copybook tackling with some determined running. The Warriors responded with two further tries of their own – the last fittingly by Walters – to take the final tally to 48-6.
Both sides gave a full commitment throughout the match, notwithstanding the testing conditions. They were clearly well-coached, notably in their aggressive two- and three-man tackling, which induced a number of handling errors. The sides also sought to move the ball towards their respective wings although, on a couple of occasions, straighter running by the outside backs might have led to more productive outcomes. However, the Warriors were generally more decisive with the ball down the middle of the pitch, the initial breaks invariably being well supported, and several of their tries were efforts from distance.
There were about 50 spectators dotted around the main Burnbrae stand – mainly friends and family, I should think – making it almost a private occasion. The game was sympathetically refereed – the official being sponsored by Specsavers, of course – although his task was not made easier by the absence of touch judges. The discipline from both sides was excellent.
My pre-match research revealed that the core of the Warriors side is drawn from Hillhead-Jordanhill RFC, which has just enjoyed a good season in Division 3 of the Arnold Clark National League (effectively the fourth tier of Scottish club rugby union). I shall follow the union’s side performance in 2025-26 with interest, given the honing of their skills currently being provided by this exposure to the different rugby code.
The up-to-date league table posted on the Scotland Rugby League website is currently headed by the Edinburgh Eagles, whose next match is against the West End Warriors at Burnbrae in July. A week later, the Warriors have another home fixture: the local derby against Glasgow RL. Two good games to look forward to in this closely contested league.
An Ordinary Spectator 