Ross Sutherland face Orkney in friendly at Invergordon
Register for free to read more of the latest local news. It's easy and will only take a moment.
ROSS Sutherland Rugby Club will play their final warm up game before the Caledonia Two North season starts next weekend.
The Stags take on Caledonia League One outfit Orkney tomorrow afternoon at the Naval Grounds in Invergordon.
It will be Ross Sutherland’s first game at home against opposition from another club since the first wave of the pandemic hit in March 2020.
They did play their first warm-up game against Caithness in Thurso last weekend when they suffered a 50–19 defeat at Millbank.
But for head coach John Mann, he was delighted to take to the field again.
“It was so good to get back to that kind of normality again,” he said.
“The scoreline wasn’t great, but there was more positives than negatives to take from that match last week.
“But to get back on to the pitch after 16 months being off, it is a pretty big positive if you ask me.”
Ross Sutherland take on Highland 2nd XV in their first match on the opening weekend of Caledonia League Two on Saturday, September 4 at the Naval Grounds in Invergordon.
Mann says he is pleased with his squad as they look to make a promotion bid for Caledonia One.
“We are looking strong for the new season,” he said.
“A few players have gone away as getting back into Saturday rugby mode is tough due to working weekends or having personal commitments.
“We have been using this pre-season block mainly to give our players game time.
“Against Caithness, the average age of our players was 21-years-old.
“We know playing Caithness and Orkney is a step up physically.
“We hope this will present the younger players with a challenge so at the start of the new season, they should feel more comfortable and it will be more of a manageable step going into the league.”
