As transition periods go, Dundee HSFP’s looked almost seamless on Saturday.
Nine tries, a bonus point in the bag by half-time, and a 67-11 victory over Biggar meant that Colin Robertson’s first match as head coach, despite losing nine first XV players in the summer, could hardly have gone more smoothly.
Even Robertson seemed slightly surprised at how well his side played and especially how well the backline, basically introduced to each other just this week, gelled into gear.
“Really pleased, there was a lot of very good stuff played out there,” said the coach, whose style is just a little less confron-tational than his long-serving predecessor Ian Rankin, with nary a word of reproach to an official all afternoon.
“The new players all fitted in really well and to score nine tries to start the season with some guys just arriving this week is really encouraging.”
Bryce Hosie, the new full-back from Otago, was a revelation in virtually all aspects of his play, and it was noticeable that the game’s only cheap shot from a frustrated visiting side was directed at him.
His placekicking, nine from 10 attempts with only a couple of them straight in-front shots, looks enough on its own to make the airfare from New Zealand worth the outlay.
But there’s also a super change of pace, fine distribution, a solid field-kicking game and the length of the field interception try his only missed kick was in the exhausted aftermath of that.
The other import just off the plane on Tuesday, stand-off Jack Stewart, brought organisation and an abrasive edge to the defence. A couple of flat passes went into the wrong hands, but both occurred when his team was 50 points to the good.
“They both looked super, and Bryce in particular had a fantastic debut,” said Robertson. “Jack had a very tidy game at 10 and to arrive just this week and perform like that promises much for the rest of the season.”
New centre Tim McKavanagh also showed up well while former skipper Lindsay Graham, returning to the first XV after a couple of years’ “retirement” was as positive and influential as ever, but the foundation was, as always, the power of the pack and particularly the men who had stayed with the club.
Even as the teams squared up before kick-off it looked a physical mis-match and the first time Richie McIver got on the ball he left tacklers flailing in his wake. Too many of the home pack were still playing rugby of Premiership quality and intensity for the undersized visitors.
Alan Brown and Steve Longwell went on to bag two tries each the new skipper narrowly missed a hat-trick and Danny Levison’s athleticism was well to the fore. Mike Stubbs, McKavanagh, Callum Bowie and a penalty try that was rather harsh on Biggar completed the try-count.
“There will be harder tests and matches to come, and there’s still plenty to work on,” Robertson said. “But we had a good mix and a balance to our play today, which is maybe something that’s been missing.”
The big, well-resourced Edinburgh clubs in the National League Watsonians, Boroughmuir and Stewarts-Melville will prove harder tests, but High’s was the biggest statement of the opening weekend.
Hillhead-Jordanhill at Mayfield next week is the chance to make another.