Highland head coach Davie Carson hopes his players can recapture the form which kept them within the chasing pack in National 1 when they visit Dundee on Saturday.
The Inverness team went into the winter break on the back of a 36-26 loss away to new leaders Heriot’s Blues on December 11.
This left the north men sixth in the table, but still only eight points from top spot.
Dundee’s last action was the week before that when they emerged from Watsonians with a 24-23 victory, which leaves them three places and 18 points behind their visitors tomorrow.
🦅🏉💚❤️ Highland RFC are on the road to @DundeeRugbyClub this Saturday 15th Jan, but Raptors and 3rd XV fixtures are postponed. Read more here 👇https://t.co/zP4LnnnFzE pic.twitter.com/k9ziwLcrJU
— Highland Rugby Club 🦅 (@HighlandRFC) January 12, 2022
Last weekend, due to rising Covid cases, Scottish rugby chiefs allowed the fixture card to be postponed, which meant Highland v Boroughmuir and Cartha Queen’s Park v Dundee were off.
The option remains in place for this weekend for clubs to agree to sit it out for the same reasons, but it’s game on for Highland.
No issues for Dundee fixture
Carson hopes his side recapture the consistent form they had as they kept within striking distance of their title rivals in the latter stages of the year.
He said: “We’re all ready to go and from what we heard from Dundee earlier this week they were just getting their protocols in place in terms of changing rooms and showers.
“It’s been a while since the Heriot’s game and it has been a nice break for the boys. A few players were carrying knocks, so they have got a good rest.
“We were back in training between Christmas and New Year and we’ve been out doing fitness work too, so we’re looking forward to getting back to it and hopefully starting a run similar to the one we had leading up the Heriot’s game.”
Dundee were tough opponents
Highland were pushed all the way by Dundee, winning it 19-15 late on at Canal Park in October and Carson was impressed by their opponents’ work-rate which made for a testing afternoon.
He said: “We beat Dundee by narrowly at home earlier this season and they were a dogged side. They had the last eight minutes on our line.
“We were down to 13 men at the time and we just managed to beat them. They are a good side who never give up and they keep working hard for one another.”
Travel points bolstered Highland
Highland have notched impressive victories on the road, so Carson is confident they can return from Tayside victorious.
He added: “We’ve been up and down at times and lost a few, but we beat Ayr away, who hadn’t been beaten at home, and we won at Stirling, so there’s no reason why we can’t get a result.
“We have trained hard to get into the structures and shapes that we had in the games before Christmas, and for much of the match against Heriot’s.
“We’re all the same, having been off for four weeks or so. It’s all now about who reacts quickest to get back into their stride.”
Backs Rupeni Rokoduguni and Rory Cross bolster Highland’s squad tomorrow, which Carson described as “fantastic news”‘.