Ross Sutherland prepare to face Highland 2nd XV in Inverness
Register for free to read more of the latest local news. It's easy and will only take a moment.
John Mann always enjoys derby matches against Highland, and tomorrow he wants Ross Sutherland to prove they can hold their own at Canal Park.
The Inverness side look like they are charging towards another Caledonia North Two title, but the Stags will look to be a roadblock in their plans this weekend.
They last met on the opening day of the season in what ended up being a 41–0 win for Highland, but at the time Mann felt it was closer than the scoreline suggested.
Knowing the pedigree of tomorrow’s opponents, though, he admits it will be all about showing that Ross can compete, rather than a particular desire for revenge.
“Highland have been the dominant team in the league for quite a years now,” Mann said.
“If you’re playing well against them and holding your own even for 40 minutes or 60 minutes, it’s a really good benchmark for where you are.
“A couple of guys who maybe haven’t played much rugby this year may get a chance to get a run out this weekend and see where they are, and it will take us into our last two games which we are hoping to win fairly comfortably. This will hopefully set the tone for the tail end of the season.”
Another thing Mann will be looking out for is the debut of a new recruit to the Invergordon ranks.
“We’ve a few injuries in one or two positions that have made it a bit tight, but we’ve got a new lad who has just moved to the area who will be getting his first game this weekend,” Mann said.
“He’s quite an exciting young lad, he’s just moved up, so it will be interesting to see how he gets on. He looks the part on the training pitch, so we’ll see if he can do it in a game too.
“I think he’s a lad that has played decent rugby at a younger level, so I’m sure standard-wise he’ll be fine.
“Hopefully it’s a good, rowdy crowd on the day and he gets the whole Ross-Highland feel.”
