Rugby - Highland head to Dundee as they look to continue winning start to the season
Highland Rugby Club take on one of their fellow relegated sides as they return to National Two action this weekend.
Another restructure in the Scottish club rugby pyramid saw three teams drop down from National One at the end of last season, with Highland being the third.
However, Dundee were the first club confirmed to be going down, and that is where head coach Dave Carson’s men travel to this weekend.
The two sides have had somewhat contrasting fortunes as they bid to win promotion back to the second tier.
Highland have won all three of their matches, and are only denied top spot by virtue of other teams having played more games than them.
Dundee, meanwhile, have a 50/50 record in the league so far, sitting fifth out of 10 teams in the division.
This weekend will be both clubs’ return to action after having last Saturday off, with no National Two fixtures taking place.
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There were, though, regional league matches on the agenda, and Highland’s second team were dominant as they recorded a one-sided win over Mackie in the Caledonia One.
The Raptors won 96-0 against the to that point unbeaten North Conference leaders, closing the gap at the top ahead of tomorrow afternoon’s trip to Aberdeenshire.
Highland’s second team are now four points behind the leaders but with a game in hand, with the top two in the conference qualifying for the end-of-season play-offs.
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Slightly further down the pyramid there is also a good chance Highland’s third team, the Sea Eagles, will extend their campaign.
In the North Caledonia Two, they also recorded a shut-out last time out against Caithness 2nds, winning 68-0.
That means the Sea Eagles have maximum points from their two matches so far, leading the Highlands and Islands Conference.
They will be looking to maintain that position in this weekend’s home match against Orkney.
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Also returning to the calendar this weekend is the Women’s North One, where Highland and Craig Dunain will both be in action.
Both clubs will be at home, with ICD welcoming Aberdeenshire to Culloden Academy while Lochaber are due to make the trip to Canal Park.