The Courier & Advertiser (Perth and Perthshire Edition)
Tests just get tougher for struggling Dundee High
NATIONAL LEAGUES: Bottom side face yet another former Premiership outfit
Things do not get any easier for beleaguered Dundee High Rugby who have yet to open their account in Tennent’s National Division 1 and occupy bottom slot.
Having again let the game get away from them in the latter stages against Melrose at Dalnacraig last week, they now travel to face, for the sixth time out of seven games, a club side from last season’s Premiership.
They head for Bridgehaugh to take on a Stirling side who held Ayr to a 26-26 draw at Millbrae last week and sit fifth in the table.
There is an air of gloom around Dalnacraig which is an inevitable consequence of a losing run of games but, despite a long injury list, it is time Dundee found a way of not throwing games away in the final quarter and learned how to create a lead and hold on to it.
It was not one for the faint-hearted at Bladnoch last week as Kirkcaldy turned around 6-0 down and then nicked a try from Connor Wood, with Finlay Smith converting, and from there the 7-6 scoreline stood until the final whistle.
Newton Stewart are not an easy side to put away on their own patch making this an excellent result for Kirkcaldy and if they don’t blow it this week they should look at the National 2 clash with third bottom Glasgow Accies as a possible five-pointer which, should other results go their way, could hoist them a few slots up from their current seventh place.
Greenock Wanderers and Ardrossan Accies are in first and second place in National 3 and face each other this week and whoever loses could find themselves leapfrogged by Howe of Fife.
The Duffus Park men, who are third in the table, face Murrayfield Wanderers tomorrow so Howe could have the sniff of five points on their home patch.
They come off a 39-30 win over Perthshire last week and with the Thomson twins each getting a brace of tries and Ned Wright claiming 14 points, they have the firepower to get that result if the pack do their stuff.
Despite having taken a try bonus from their 26-36 defeat at the hands of Ardrossan last week, Strathmore again could have collected a losing bonus had a few unlucky calls not gone against them.
The trip to Maybole to face bottomof-the-table Carrick, if it goes the same way as it did for Howe and Perthshire when the visitors had hefty wins, will see them bring the points back to Inchmacoble and could bounce them a place or two up.
After a blistering start, Berwick only managed a home draw against Hillhead Jordanhill last weekend so having at least found the way to the try line with 13 strikes in the last three games, Perthshire could add to the visitors’ one loss so far this season.