The Courier & Advertiser (Fife Edition)
Uncertain times ahead as some clubs could well be left in limbo
There is only one thing that can be certain whenever the club rugby season starts in Scotland – nobody has much certainty about where we are headed, writes Steve Scott.
This year is no exception. It was meant to be the final manoeuvring as club rugby enters a new era with (yet another) restructuring due at the end of this term creating the semi-professional Super Six and a new all-amateur National League.
Yet no one is quite sure yet which teams are going to be in that National League, whether Super Six “club sides” and potential feeders are going to be admitted to the new National One. There’s still a great deal of horse-trading to be done.
So senior clubs in National League One – and those not connected with Super Six in the Premiership – are in a sort of limbo, not helped by the persistent rumours that Super Six might become eight or more.
Dundee High Rugby, although unsuccessful in getting a Super Six franchise, have decided to largely do what they had proposed anyway. The links with Abertay University have been strengthened, the sports sciences improved and the merger with Morgan has started the process of what they hope will be a Dundee RFC.
Morgan – now Dundee Morgan – playing at Mayfield in the Caledonia Bowl last week was the first public evidence of the collaboration, but that was just because Alloway Place was not available for a week.
Dundee themselves won handsomely away to Falkirk in their main pre-season fixture and their aim has to be to at least match the top four position they have had in the last two seasons which will mean they are in the new top division whatever happens.
Stewart Lathangie from Howe of Fife is one of their more interesting recruits, but it is possibly the toughest test of all to start with away at Marr.
Kirkcaldy are back in National One after too long a gap and there’s not going to be any deviation from the plan that saw them roll so impressively to promotion last year – forward power, with a bit of guile – but mostly the big guys.
The run-out in the National Cup at Gordonians last week ticked most of the right boxes – eight tries and 52 points, with a team that had plenty of untried youngsters.
Finlay Smith had an accomplished game at 10 and 18-year-old Struan Robertson stood out on his debut in the second row. However, Dayle Turner’s brace showed his try-scoring form looks likely to continue into the new season and division.
Selkirk are first up for the Blues and the Philiphaugh side blew away the cobwebs with a 41-10 hammering of Peebles two weeks ago.
Last year’s campaign for Howe of Fife in National Two was one of consolidation following relegation and suspensions that had to be managed throughout the year. Rebuilding still seems to be the theme for coach Chris Martin’s second year in charge. Last week’s first competitive run-out in the National Cup brought a 19-7 defeat at Lasswade, but plenty to build on.
Howe’s policy of building the team from youth sections will not change, but they will have to ride unfortunate injuries like the broken ankle suffered by Fraser Allan last week.
Tomorrow’s visitors are another side who need to consolidate, Falkirk having plummeted out of Division One last year having not been that far off the promotion play-off the previous year.
The club that nurtured Finn Russell is still thriving, with three senior teams, however, and one would expect it to be much more competitive this year.
Perthshire remain in National League Three after two fraught seasons but are hoping to stabilise there this year and build on the feelgood factor of their weekend hosting the Glasgow Warriors and Harlequins at the North Inch two weeks ago.
They open their campaign away to Ardrossan, in what looks an interesting division full of ambitious teams.
Restructuring has already reached the Caledonia leagues, where there are three Midlands divisions below the cross-region Division One, featuring nine teams, all but two of them from the Midlands. However, the number of Shield matches that went unplayed last week because teams were unable to raise numbers shows there are still some troubles with retaining players in the lower levels.
Last year Alloa, Glenrothes and Strathmore were the main chasing pack behind eventual champions Caithness and all three have strengthened for the new season.
Glens, however, went down in their Shield opener to Dunfermline, who have the bye this week as the odd team out in a division of nine. Aberdeen Wanderers are the visitors to Carleton Park.
Strathmore signalled their intentions to continue challenging for the Caley title with the recruitment of former Dundee fixture Alan Brown as their head coach and they won both their preseason fixtures before getting a free pass in the Shield with Carnoustie not able to field a full complement. Strathie open their account with a home match against Grangemouth Stags.
Harris have had new head coach Ryan Beattie in position for just a couple of weeks, but assistant Kenny Carlson has been in place throughout pre-season. They lost to Mackie in pre-season and then to Banff last week in the Shield, but host Hillfoots at Elliot Road.
The Midlands division has split into three, with 10 teams in Division Two. Blairgowrie may be the favourites here, with Panmure also resurgent and Madras regrouping after a couple of fallow seasons.
With the students not yet returned, Dundee University Medics’ fixture with Howe of Fife IIs is postponed.
Division Three is where Dundee Morgan are now to be found and their crushing of Montrose last week suggests the merger may be good to start the club on the march back up the divisions.