Highland head coach Dave Carson is delighted by his team’s pre-season performances as they aim to hit the ground running in National Division One.
The Inverness team continued their preparations for their league opener against Ayr on September 4 by taking on top-flight opponents Aberdeen Grammar at the weekend.
The previous week, they were edged out 12-5 away to Premiership hosts Edinburgh Accies and they kicked on from that by beating Grammar 26-10, scoring four tries to boot.
Carson said: “It was a really good, physical pre-season game, which is exactly what we wanted on the back of the Edinburgh Accies match.
“It was quite feisty at times, which you quite often get in a local derby, even though it was a friendly.
“We were really pleased because it was a really tough battle. They brought a good side up and we weathered a couple of storms to come out with the victory, which was really pleasing leading into the league games.”
Extra energy when it mattered
Carson was impressed by the fitness and the way his team stood up to power of their Granite City opponents.
He added: “I was particularly pleased with our defensive effort. Grammar are a big side and they went at us with a lot of short balls. Our defence over three quarters was really good.
“We really tired in the third quarter and I thought were were going to struggle because it came back to 12-10 in the third quarter, but we found another bit of energy for the final 20.
A good day at the office!
🦅🏉💚❤️ https://t.co/r31kdGkwFl— Highland Rugby Club 🦅 (@HighlandRFC) August 22, 2021
“We changed it around and got a couple of fresher boys on. That made all the difference and we got a couple more tries to seal it – I was really pleased.”
Appetite for rugby in Inverness
Another big boost was seeing fans back inside the impressive Canal Park venue as the competitive season draws ever closer.
Carson added: “We had a ‘thank you’ day for our sponsors, which certainly swelled the numbers, but it was unbelievable for a friendly.
“It was great to see the families there and the kids running around with rugby balls.
“People who have come along to the club for hospitality have been really impressed by how friendly and chatty everyone is and all the players come up and speak to everyone afterwards.
“There were all ages of kids there from babies in their prams to teenagers. The ones playing with the rugby balls was fantastic. They will be the future.”
Moray provided a welcome match
Highland were grateful, meanwhile, to Moray for stepping in late on to provide opposition to their second team, the Raptors.
Carson added: “Moray’s game was cancelled and they came through. It was a fantastic game, I saw about 20 minutes of it and was a 19-19 draw, so it was another good physical encounter for both sides before the league starts.”
This Saturday, it’s just Highland’s third string who are set for match action as they travel to Fraserburgh for a friendly.