RUGBY - Highland expecting Melrose reaction after title hope dashed
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Highland Rugby Club will still have to be at their best against Melrose despite the Greenyards side likely missing out on promotion, according to head coach Dave Carson.
While Highland were picking up a 35–10 win at home over Stirling County last weekend, Melrose’s title bid suffered a potentially fatal blow as they lost to fellow contenders Kelso.
Mathematically, they are still in the mix to be crowned National One champions, but Carson thinks that realistically, their challenge is over.
However, he does not expect a downbeat Melrose that will have downed tools when Carson takes his side south tomorrow.
“Melrose probably wouldn’t say it publicly, but looking at the teams Ayr and Kelso still have to play, the decider will be when those two play at Kelso in a couple of weeks,” he said.
“I can’t see those two losing any other games against the opposition they’ve got.
“Melrose are nine points behind Kelso, so I can’t see them pegging that back. They will probably finish third, but you just never know.
“It will all come down to how they react.
“At home, whoever you are, you want to put on a show for your support. They’re a strong side, and they’re not the sort of team that will say their season is over, so we’ll have to go down there and play well.”
Although losing out last weekend, Carson has watched Melrose’s game and he did not think they played badly.
With that in mind, he is still hoping to get a few experienced players back from injury for the trip south tomorrow.
“It doesn’t get much tougher,” Carson reasoned.
“They got beat with the last kick of the game, a penalty, but they looked really strong against Kelso and played really well.
“They’re a good side, with their backs they get a lot of width on the ball and they have some good strong forwards.
“We’re looking forward to it, it’s always good to go and play at the Greenyards, so we’ll regroup and see if anyone comes back into the reckoning for selection because we really need a strong 20 going there.
“That’s no disrespect to the guys that came in – they did really well – but Melrose is another level up from what we faced last weekend.”
