Hits out over match call-off Rugby union:

Carson criticises St Boswells

Highland head coach Davie Carson labelled St Boswells a disgrace after the Borders club pulled the plug on today’s potential National 3 title-deciding fixture at Canal Park.

The Inverness men need just four points from their final game of the season against the side sitting fifth in the table to clinch the title and promotion to National 2.

The Borders outfit claimed only 12 players were available this weekend, prompting the postponement.

The game has been rearranged for next Saturday but Carson wants his players to have the chance to secure the title themselves rather than win it by default.

Carson said: “Everyone has planned for this being the last game and it was all set up to be a great occasion – now there might not even be an occasion at all.

“We should still go up but we don’t want to go up like this.

“It has gone from being our biggest game since 1976 to maybe having no game to crown it all off.

“We have already planned all the food and drink and extra bar staff for the bigger crowd we were expecting. We all wanted to celebrate after the game.”

Although a rearranged date has already been set Carson is wary the same scenario could happen again given St Boswells pulled out of a trip to Newton Stewart a fortnight ago in similar circumstances.

The league committee will decide on a sanction for the Borders outfit.

Carson added: “St Boswells were kicked out of the 2014 National Bowl ahead of the final for playing unregistered players against Glenrothes, who took their place before we beat them.

“We are not playing second division rugby here – this is the National League. They are a disgrace.” Ben Toolis thinks Edinburgh are as close to competing with Glasgow as they have been during his time in Scotland.

The second-rower moved to the club in 2013 but for most of that time Edinburgh have been forced to play second fiddle to the Warriors.

However, with Edinburgh now competing for a place in the end-of-season play-offs as well as a Champions Cup spot this weekend, Toolis thinks the two rivals are almost level as they prepare for today’s 1872 Cup decider at Murrayfield that will also determine Edinburgh’s fate this season.

Asked if this was the closest the two sides had been to each other, the Scotland international said: “Since I’ve been here, yes.” l

Davie Carson: Not happy with St Boswells