Dundee HSFP 17 - 13 Melrose

Dundee High Rugby reignited their title challenge with a timely win over the defending champions and RBS Premiership leaders.

The Tayside club is ambitious to be a regional powerhouse and enjoy the prize of finishing in the top three. “We would like to get into the British and Irish Cup but we have to have more consistency and not lose to clubs like Stirling and Gala.” said Dundee coach, Ian Rankin

“We have a run of hard matches coming up and the win against Melrose will give us confidence” suggested Rankin, who made clever use of a quality bench, with prop Darrell Russell, and back row Richie McIvor impressing.

Both subs helped Dundee sustain an immense forward effort throughout the match, sufficient to stop Melrose building the kind of platform from which they have been able to dominate other teams. The Melrose attack was also kept in check by a Dundee defence that rarely flinched and limited them to just one try.

Melrose, lacking their trademark vitality, may have suffered from having several of their players involved in extra training sessions with South of Scotland ahead of the Barbarians match. They were slow out of the blocks and were not helped by an injury to winger Nick McGrath and a harsh yellow card decision after six minutes against skipper Graham Dodds for side entry at a ruck.

The visitors were made to pay immediately as Dundee created a forwards try for Danny Levison, converted by Scotland Sevens winger James Fleming who was making his return after injury. Fleming then kicked a penalty goal before converting his own try to give Dundee a 17-0 lead after the first quarter.

Melrose replied with a Scott McCormick try and conversion as well as two penalty goals from Scott Wight, but it wasn’t enough to prevent Dundee maintaining their unbeaten home run.

Scorers: Dundee – Tries: Levison, Fleming. Cons: Fleming (2). Pens: Fleming. Melrose – Try: McCormick. Con: Wight. Pen: Wight (2)

Dundee: C Wyper; A McLean, R Lavery, C Strachan, J Fleming; C Brown, A Dymock; N Dymock, S Forrest, A Brown, R Hawkins, A Linton, C Cumming, J Morrison, D Levison Subs used G Robertson, D Russell, R McIvor, J Urquhart, T Seabala

Melrose: F Thomson; N McGrath, J Murray, C Murray, J Helps; A Skeen, B Colvine; C Keen, R Ferguson, N Beavon, G Elder, R Miller, J Dalziel, G Runciman, G Dodds Subs used W Mitchell, K Cooney, P Eccles, S McCormick, A Skeen.