Ross Sutherland cause big upset with victory over champions Highland in Invergordon
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ROSS Sutherland caused a massive upset when they defeated defending champions Highland 2nd XV with a 20–19 win in Caledonia North Two.
The Stags came from 12–5 behind at half time to secure a one-point victory at Invergordon for their second victory of the campaign.
They inflicted the first defeat on champions Highland 2nd’s, who are ineligible for promotion to Caledonia One due to reserve teams being unable to progress from Caledonia North Two.
The win has put Ross Sutherland into sixth place in Caledonia North Two after three games, which includes two victories.
They are on nine points, and 11 points behind league leaders Moray, who they face in Elgin on Saturday, but have two matches in hand.
Club spokesman David Gill says it was a fantastic victory against a Highland team who have been dominant in the division in recent seasons.
He says a victory against high calibre opposition, bodes well for the season ahead.
“Firstly, it was nice to get a win, but it was nice to get the win by scoring tries,” said Gill.
“The matches against Highland are usually quite intense and a fixture we always look forward to.
“In recent seasons, we have been on the receiving end of results we didn’t want against them.
“So to get this win will be a real confident booster for what is a young and inexperienced team we have this season.
“This season is a fresh start for us, so for these guys to experience a win against Highland was great.”
Gill says his team are now looking for their first win on the road against a Moray outfit who are flying high with confidence after an excellent start to the campaign sees them in pole position in the title race.
“Moray are really flying just now and have recorded some big scores already,” said Gill.
“But the win against Highland will hopefully attract more bodies to training and challenge players to win places when it comes to squad selection for Saturday.
“Beating Highland will only be worthwhile if we can follow it up in the next few weeks with more results.
“We are on to Saturday and making the most of it which will be a tough task.
“We need a complete performance against Moray as it is a big task.”
