Harry Millar is likely to be Dundee HSFP’s only recruit from other shores this season but he repaid a good whack of the flight from New Zealand at Riverside Park last week.
The youngster from Christchurch FC in the rugby hotbed of Canterbury landed the last-kick, 40-metre penalty to edge Dundee over Jed-Forest last week and complete a second victory in as many starts.
“Harry’s a young lad across for a rugby experience,” said High head coach Colin Robertson. “He’ll play fly-half and also full-back, and he will be one of our two 10s, the other being the impressive Duncan Leese.”
Leese is fresh out of the High School and may even return to action for this week’s meeting with Selkirk, who after a couple of seasons down in National One have signalled their ambition to return to the Premiership by luring former British Lion Peter Wright down the A72 from Peebles. They’ve duly won both their opening matches, both with try bonus points, scoring 120 points in the process.
“Selkirk have recruited well and I always thought they would be one of the hardest opponents in the league this year,” said Robertson.
“I think it will be a cracker of a game with two teams that like to throw the ball around. We have scored eight tries in our first two league games so we approach the game with a strong attack. We need to improve certain areas from the Jed win, however, which we weren’t too happy with.”
Both matches last year went the way of the home side but both by just the margin of a penalty, so another close one is likely.
Howe of Fife and Kirkcaldy are also two from two in National League Two, and one would expect that the Duffus Park side will make it three from three when they host Greenock Wanderers this weekend.
They clicked into gear at Aberdeenshire last week and are the only side in the division with an 100 per cent record, but the division is already taking shape into a divide of four or five clubs that will contest promotion and the rest fighting against relegation.
Kirkcaldy’s win at Greenock Wanderers last week puts them squarely in that elite group but Whitecraigs, this week’s visitors to Beveridge Park, definitely have designs on being promotion candidates as well, and will be the Blues’ biggest test so far.
Perthshire and Dunfermline’s return to National League rugby after the re-establishment of three divisions has been a difficult one so far, with both clubs getting a painful idea of the quality of National Three in their home openers last week.
Both sides are without a point thus far but Perthshire will hope to take something from Dalziel, who have also struggled at the outset of the campaign, while Dunfie are away to Lasswade where `Shire fell just short of the opening weekend.
It’s only three weeks in but the clash of Glenrothes and Orkney at Carleton Park might be the most significant one of the season, as they sit at the top of the table already with maximum points.
Orkney pushed all the way before finishing third last season while Glens have come up from Caley Midlands Two and seem to be a club on the move again.
Elsewhere in the division, Morgan and Strathmore meet at Inchmacoble while Hillfoots are at Caithness.
Alloa top Division Two Midlands by virtue of their crushing win against Panmure at Forthill last week but will face a tougher assignment against Madras, who had a solid bonus point victory over Grangemouth last week. Harris and Carnoustie HSFP are the two other unbeaten teams in the division.