Davie Carson wants Highland to use their pace to their advantage in National 1 this season.
Highland play their second match of the season on Saturday when Dundee make the trip to Canal Park.
It follows the postponement of last weekend’s match against Aberdeen Grammar, which has been rearranged for November 19.
All domestic rugby in Scotland was called off following the death of Queen Elizabeth II last Thursday.
Carson has been impressed by Saturday’s opponents Dundee, who suffered a late 18-17 defeat to Biggar on the opening day.
Although he concedes Highland do not have the same physical presence, he says their fluency of play can counteract the threat of their opponents this season.
Carson said: “It’s another tough one with Dundee coming up. Their performance down at Biggar was fantastic but they just got pipped in the end.
“I watched the game back earlier this week, and with two minutes to go they were 17-11 up. They just got beaten by a point in the last couple of minutes with a try and conversion.
“They were a good side, very physical with a big pack. They are very direct and play very similarly to Ayr, probably just a wee bit stronger.
“It’s going to be another tough battle, but it’s good to get another home game.
“It was a really good session, and it was just a case of going over our strengths.
“We are not the biggest side in the world, but we are certainly fit and fast. We just need to move these big packs around and get into a stand-up fight with them in the middle of the park.
“The aim is to spread them around, especially on the fast-track 4G at Canal Park.”
Highland boosted by return of key players during break
Carson says the unexpected break from action has allowed his squad to refresh, with Stuart Butler, Rory Cross, Gordon Gregor and Seumas Ross returning to contention this weekend.
He hopes the Inverness outfit can pick up from where they left off, in their opening day 26-17 win over Ayr.
Carson added: “When you get a win at home in the first game, you really want that momentum we talk about so many times.
“Going to Grammar last weekend on the back of a home victory against Ayr would have been good just to keep things going. It was taken out of our hands.
“The guys got a weekend off, which was not a bad thing as they had played three weeks on the trot.
“A few bumps and bruises from the first game have managed to get back into it again.”
Orkney aiming to build on winning start in National 3
Orkney are also returning to action in National 3, having opened with an impressive 52-14 away win against Royal High.
The newly-promoted islanders make the trip to Murrayfield Wanderers this weekend, after last week’s home match against Hillhead Jordanhill was called off. That match will now go ahead on October 29.
Orkney remain without props Ali Linklater and Neil Campbell, who had been ruled of last week’s game prior to its postponement.
Head coach Derek Robb said: “We took a bit of confidence out of winning our first game. We are looking to keep progressing.
“Murrayfield Wanderers are a side we have not played for a number of years, so we don’t know much about how they are playing these days. They can vary from year to year, depending on what kind of personnel they have.”
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