By Steve Scott, rugby correspondent

Dundee HSFP have to turn the disappointment of a second BT Cup final defeat in successive seasons into the determination to find their proper place at the top of Scottish club rugby, believe skipper Lindsay Graham and coach Ian Rankin.

The Mayfield side contributed handsomely to a fabulous open final against Boroughmuir at Murrayfield on Saturday but left with nothing but the respect of their opponents and neutrals and losers’ medals as the Edinburgh club claimed their third title by a flattering 39-25 scoreline.

However, the abiding message of the team’s second cup final defeat—they similarly shone before going down to Glasgow Hawks 29-17 last year—was that a team of this ability should not be in the second division of the BT Premiership.

Neutrals at the national stadium could not quite believe that High’s formidable pack had not propelled them into the top league this season, and Rankin and Graham accept that assessment.

“Everyone says that the league is the bread and butter and the cup is a bonus, and that’s the way it has been for us as well,” said Graham, who gave his all against the club with which he won two cup final winners’ medals.

“However, this season the league didn’t go so well for us in the first half of the season and the cup came to be that more important for getting something out of the year.

“However, we really have to use the confidence from the cup wins and competing against Boroughmuir to win promotion next year.”

Rankin said the second defeat hurt more than the first, as the team had a level of expectation in themselves that they could beat Boroughmuir, unlike last year against the Hawks.

“We felt we could do it, but we were caught by the pace that Boroughmuir played in the first 20 minutes,” he said. “It’s the kind of pace they play at the top of division one and we’re not exposed to it that often.

“When we got to grips with it is was a pretty even match, but the only way we’re going to cope with it is to play in division one, and that’s obviously the aim for next season.”

Rankin had no complaints about controversial decisions that went against his team, notably the try not given just before half-time and Borough- muir’s key score in the first minutes of the second half.

“That try by them was the key to the game because we felt we had them rocking a bit at half-time. However, those are marginal calls that have to be made.

“One thing is that everyone gave their all and there’s nobody sitting in that dressing room now saying that they should have done X, Y or Z in certain situations during the game.”

The loss of New Zealander Mike Kerr to injury early in the first half—his hamstring problem not helped by the 15-minute wait to be introduced to the Princess Royal before kick-off— was a blow to the team’s creative plan.

The Dundee side is still basically a young team, but there are issues for Rankin to address for next season’s run.

A key concern is how best to utililise Graham and Neil McComb, both of whom have played out of position this season, and the need to bring more outright speed to the backline.