Raptors looking to record perfect season
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Brian Bell believes the tantalising prospect of an undefeated season is keeping Highland 2nd XV focused going into their final match.
The Raptors wrapped up the Caledonia North Two title with a 62-0 victory over Ross Sutherland last weekend, and are now just one more win away from a perfect season.
Aberdeen Grammar 2nds are their last opponents of the campaign, with the match being played in Stirling before the National League Cup final between both clubs’ first 15s.
Bell says still having something to play for means the squad have kept their minds on the task at hand.
“It’s good that there’s something to achieve in every game that we’ve played this season,” Bell explained.
“If we had lost in the last couple of weeks this would be a nothing game, but the fact that we’ve got an incentive is good.
“They’ve got this one last thing to play for, the unbeaten season.
“So that keeps all the guys focused – it’s not just a run-of-the-mill game at the end of the season.
“It will be a tremendous day should we win and the first team win.
“It would be a great day for Highland rugby.
“But it’s like all these things, they need to be worked on and we have to play well to achieve it.”
Last time the Raptors played Grammar 2nds they won, but it was one of their tighter matches of the season at 21-10.
They can expect a similar battle on Saturday, with the Aberdeen outfit keen to play the same attacking style that Highland do.
“That was one of our closer games this season, it was 21-10,” Bell recalled.
“They had some exciting backs and they were pretty fast, young, athletic players.
“It all depends on how many of those players have been called up into their first team squad, that’s what I don’t know.
“It will be exciting I think, they scored a lot of points against Ross Sutherland recently as well.
“If they play a similar style then it could be a high-scoring game with two teams playing adventurous rugby which will be good to see.”
