Howe of Fife have bagged a shock or two before in cup competition on their home patch and they’re quietly confident of another one when they host Premiership Aberdeen Grammar at Duffus Park in what is effectively the RBS Caledonia Cup decider.
The handsome last-gasp win against Dundee HSFP at Mayfield means that Howe can win the cup if they beat Grammar, but matters are complicated by a ruling on Kirkcaldy’s failure to fulfil a rescheduled fixture on January 4.
The Blues couldn’t field a team that weekend to take on Grammar and we’re still waiting on the news of the SRU Championship Committee’s sanction, which could be the Blues being removed the competition and all previous fixtures rendered void.
In any case Grammar, with a 100 % record in the matches they have been able to play so far, are heavy favourites to get the three points they need to progress to be Caley’s representative in the quarter-finals alongside British and Irish Cup side Stirling County.
At the very least this week will be an ideal hit-out for the Howe ahead of next week’s crunch Championship clash with Musselburgh. Burgh’s lead is now 10 points after they edged Haddington in the East Lothian derby last week but Howe now have two games in hand.
Dundee High finish their Caley Cup campaign at Falkirk but it’s been a positive one for the club in giving so much game time to the youngsters coming through at Mayfield.
Last week the High School of Dundee and Scotland Under-18 cap Chris Jollands made his debut for the FPs in the win over Kirkcaldy even before he actually is an FP and there was a try-scoring debut for Rory Taylor.
The Blues, even with the axe of the championship committee hanging over them, take on Aberdeenshire in their final pool match.
We got a decisive result in last week’s battle of the top two in Caledonia Division One at McKane Park but the surprise that it was just so decisive: a 39-0 five-try rout for Perthshire turning a nervous looking one-point advantage at the top of the division into a six-point cushion.
It’s surely’s Shire’s title to lose now and there’s little evidence they might do so, with the memory of the surprise loss at Morgan enough to steel them for the return fixture at the North Inch on Saturday.
Dunfermline are away to struggling Ellon but it’s worth keeping an eye on Orkney, who are still in the hunt nine points behind Perthshire with a game in hand. They host Mackie with an 11am kick-off.
Harris’ loss at Stirling University last week means that Caledonia Two Midlands is surely all over bar the shouting, with Hillfoots now 12 points clear having dropped just two points from the maximum possible 60 in their 12 games so far.