Highland early-season struggles down to injury list ‘as long as coach’s arm’

Highland Rugby Club head coach Dave Carson is confident his side will improve as the season goes on after injuries have blighted their early form. The Canal Park outfit sit at the bottom of National One with just a single point to show for their efforts over the opening three matches, albeit none of them were easy fixtures. Highland travelled to Gala before hosting Stirling County – back at full strength in the club pyramid after the Super6 folded – and GHA, who were the only team to defeat Highland in Inverness last season.

Ahead of their longest journey of the campaign to Jed-Forest this Saturday, Carson does not expect to have anybody back available, meaning he will have to make do without practically his entire first-choice back row once again. “We’ve got an injury list as long as my arm,” he explained. “It was just a case of the guys coming in enjoying themselves and doing their best.



It comes down to experience at a quicker level, and also kilos. “They have done well, but kilos, size and strength does tell after an hour. We’ve been in every game for an hour, but those last 15 minutes has seen fatigue come in and we’ve lost the games.

“We’ve said over the years that it’s great to blood young guys, and give them experience in the first team, so it will be good for the future. “They will go back into the 2nds thinking they need to get bigger, or need to work on their fitness and in the gym to really push for a first 15 spot in the future. “Next week we should start getting a couple back.

No disrespect to the guys who have come in, because they have done really well, but we’ll get stronger and stronger as the season goes on.” This weekend’s long trip to Jedburgh will be something different for Highland to contend with, as Carson believes it has been at least 40 years since the two sides met in league action. That will only add to the sense of occasion among the Highland squad, though, and they will be doing all they can to get a positive result to start climbing the National One standings.

“We go into every game trying to get something out of it,” Carson insisted. “The boys have been invited down there for the last three or four years for their Sevens tournament, and we’ve acquitted ourselves well, so they’re a nice bunch down there and we’re looking forward to going down. “It’s just like when we came into National One and hadn’t been to these places for so long, it’s always nice to go to a new venue and see what it’s all about.

“We can really get charged up, and hopefully come back up the long road with something in the pocket.”.