Huge step into the unknown as club league rugby relaunches after 17 months

Every new club rugby season is something of a step into the unknown, but little can ever compare to the 2021-22 campaign beginning this weekend.

17 months have passed since the 2019-20 season was halted for Covid-19 and eventually called null and void. The 2020-21 club season – with one or two false starts – was eventually entirely wiped out.

Turnover of personnel year-to-year is often huge in club rugby, so nobody’s quite sure what expect after the longest close-season in history. And the virus is still active and already disrupting the fixture list on the first weekend.

‘You can’t replicate the physical impact of a game in training’

🏉WEEKEND FIXTURES🏉
Our ladies team have a weekend off this weekend but we have a weekend full of rugby for the rest of the teams! #DundeeRugby #DundeeRugbyClub pic.twitter.com/RS6Z1s4Nn4

— Dundee Rugby Club (@DundeeRugbyClub) September 2, 2021

For Dundee Rugby head coach Alan Brown, it’s meant a long delay to his homecoming. There remain acute challenges right up until they get to Biggar for their National League Two season opener on Saturday.

“We played pre-season against Stewarts-Melville last week and both teams had five players injured,” explained the former club international prop. “You can’t replicate the physical impact of a game in training. You really don’t want your guys hitting each other that hard.

“We didn’t have any contact at all for three months. We had 60 players training but initially in groups of five only. It’s going to take a while.”

Dundee did pretty well for numbers, an active recruitment programme bringing in 20 players. But there’s probably just five or so who remain at Mayfield from the last time they played club rugby.

Brown himself had just returned to Mayfield from two years gaining his coaching props at Strathmore. But then the game was placed in cold storage for a year and a half.

“Even when I came back, personnel had changed,” he said. “Now there’s only one guy, Fraser McKay, remaining from my previous time here.

“It’s been challenging. We were getting dates to restart a year ago and were ready to start contact again, and then, bang, restrictions were back on again. We were running training sessions in four different locations when guys couldn’t travel.

‘The commitment has been outstanding’

“It was hard to stay motivated but we battled through it and the commitment of the guys has been outstanding.

“We’ve got a very young side, a couple of guys just out of school, but some of the older players just haven’t come back after the break, and that’s been a problem.”

“And the restrictions we’ve had for so long show on the pitch; we’ve been able to run all the attacking moves we want, but all teams are going to be a bit slack on D. You haven’t been able to work on defence for so long because of the contact rules.”

No-one’s quite sure how the season will progress, on and off the field. Club rugby has a much older fanbase than most sports, and the experience of games with a similar demographic – like rugby league – suggests supporters are returning only gradually.

Dundee certainly face a stiff opening test at Biggar, a club that is properly embedded in their community and is likely to emerge from the Covid lockdown in good health.

‘I’ll be happy with a solid season under our belt’

Missed a bit of this ? 🖤
Get doon this Saturday to see The Men in Black taking on Berwick in their first League game of the season- kicking off at 3.00pm. 2nd XV away to Grangemouth and Angus Colts take on Grangemouth at the ‘Coble in the morning #BleedBlack #StrathieandProud pic.twitter.com/2l5zO2VAuy

— Strathmore_RFC (@Strathmore_RFC) September 1, 2021

“We really have no idea where we are, but you’ll see some pretty good attacking rugby,” said Brown, whose team scored six tries in their final preseason game. “I think in general I’ll be happy if we just get a solid season under our belt. We can’t expect much more that that.”

Covid-19 has not gone away – far from it – and the Caley Division Two Midlands derby between Harris and Panmure at Elliot Road has been postponed, due to a virus case within the Pannie squad.

Aberdeen Grammar’s Premiership meeting with Edinburgh Accies is another to have been postponed because of positive test results. This is going to be a live issue for some time.

Tennents League matches this weekend

Saturday (all ko 3pm unless stated)

National League One: Biggar vs Dundee Rugby

National Two: Kirkcaldy v Peebles

National Three: Howe of Fife v Hillhead Jordanhill, Murrayfield Wanderers v Perthshire, Strathmore v Berwick.

Caledonia Division One: Blairgowrie v Orkney (11.30 am), Dunfermline v Glenrothes

Midlands Division Two: Alloa v Falkirk, Kirkcaldy IIs v Carnoustie HSFP, Madras v Kinross.

Midlands Division Three: Rosyth v Dundee Rugby IIs, Crieff & Strathean v Waid, Perthshire IIs v Bannockburn, Grangemouth Stags II v Strathmore IIs.

Midlands Division Four: Arbroath v Dunfermline (1 pm), Glenrothes IIs v Aberfeldy, Hillfoots II v Tay Hawks, Howe Crusaders v Stobswell.

Sunday (ko 2pm)

Women’s National League One: Howe of Fife v Ayr