Highland head coach Davie Carson expects plenty of entertaining rugby as his team travel to take on the might of Melrose.
With his side from Inverness are hunting down a top-four finish in National 1, they are needing to try and leave the Borders with a shock win to keep on the tails of Gala, who occupy fourth position right now.
An impressive 35-10 home victory against Stirling County keeps Highland within six points of Gala and they are looking forward to one of the most appealing fixtures on the calendar at the weekend.
Melrose are third in the division, although a last-gasp 18-15 defeat at leaders Kelso all but takes them out of the title running.
Sparkling contest in Inverness
When Melrose visited Canal Park in November, the hosts suffered a narrow 35-30 loss, which gives Carson hope that they can rise to this challenge.
He said: “When we played Melrose last year, it was one of the best National 1 games I’d seen. It was two fantastic running sides.
We’re just got underway at Canal Park, in todays National League Div 1 fixture against @StirlingCounty pic.twitter.com/btG4Oa9ulI
— Highland Rugby Club 🦅 (@HighlandRFC) February 25, 2023
“There were great tries from both teams. Melrose are a strong side. They were beaten with the last kick of the game against Kelso on Saturday, which probably puts them out of the championship race, which will be between Ayr and Kelso.
“Melrose will want to finish third, or push for second, while we’re pushing for fourth.
“It’s on the plastic, the same as we have, so it is set up for another good running game.
“We were really pleased to beat Stirling last week, especially given the amount of injuries we’ve got.
“We’re still within reach of Gala. It would be great to get ahead of them, but it will be tough – they are a good side as well. It will be quite close until the end of the season.”
Carson said the squad make 200-mile trip to Melrose on the morning of the match, adding they’re “well used to it”.
Sean Blair, Owen MacDonald, Gordon Gregor and Seumas Ross remain sidelined through injury, but Grant Jamieson has a slight chance of making the travelling pool.
Orkney get set for Whitecraigs’ test
In National 3, sixth-placed Orkney are on their travels to tackle Glasgow opponents Whitecraigs for the first time this season.
And the islanders go on their way, boosted by a battling 24-20 home win against Allan Glen’s, which means they sit just two points below the team they’ve just defeated.
Whitecraigs are two places below Orkney, but have played two games less than their visitors and the gap sits at 13 points, so won’t want to offer any catch-up hopes to their chasers.
Orkney head coach Derek Robb hopes to have a “fairly strong” pool available this weekend as they prepare for a big fortnight of action.
He said: “The attitude is spot-on and the guys are working hard to get these results.
“We’re targeting top six this season, which would be really good for our first season back in National 3. We have quite a few younger players in our squad as well as the older heads.
“It’s just been about getting back up to pace and the guys are really showing what they’re made of now.
“We have a tough run-in now, including Whitecraigs home and away. If we get a strong squad to travel down, it will be a tight game.
“We’ve yet to play Whitecraigs, but looking at their results, they seem to be a tough side to beat at home. We will have to be at our best and be really accurate with what we do.
“We then have Gordonians at home the week after that, which will be a full-on tussle. If I can get everyone available for that game, it won’t be as straight-forward as it was when we were away to Gordonians when we barely had a squad (in a 83-14 loss in November).”
Perfect kicks made all the difference
Looking back at their victory against Allan Glen’s, Robb was delighted his team rose to the challenge against capable opponents.
He added: “It was an excellent win. Both teams put a lot into the game, but fortunately we were able to see it through.
“The guys kept digging in, especially when we lost a player with a yellow card with about 12 minutes to go.
“That’s when they scored a couple of tries, but we forced them out wide and their kicker was not particularly on form. Although they got four tries, they didn’t convert them, whereas our kicker, Connor Hancock, converted every single one and a penalty. Getting 100% from the tee ultimately made the difference.
“It just shows that when we have a strong squad available, we’re competitive against anybody. When we travel away, with work commitments and injuries we’ve had this season, it’s not always the strongest squad we’re able to field.
“Allan Glen’s are a really good side at transitioning from defence to attack. They hit the space well and they’re probably one of the best sides in the league doing that.”
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