Rugby legends to help Greens mark their half-century
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TO celebrate the half-century of the county’s only rugby club, a team made up of former Scottish internationalists is set to play a one-off glamour match at Millbank.
Caithness Rugby Football Club will tackle a team of Scottish Legends next month during a weekend of celebrations to mark the milestone.
Ex-Scotland team coach Frank Hadden will lead out a team of former full internationalists and Scottish A players, with the likes of Rowen Shepherd, Craig Joiner and Duncan Hodge in their ranks.
Former Thurso High and Caithness player Shepherd, who will be making the trip home along with fellow Greens exiles Peter and Andy Knight, said the chance to come home and play where his career started was something he was looking forward to.
"Caithness Rugby Club is where it all began for me so it will be a great game to play in," he said.
"It is nice to be able to support the club and bring such an exciting squad to the far north of the country.’’
The team known as the Xodus Steelers will be using the match on August 18 as preparation for the Dubai Rugby Sevens which take place at the end of the year.
Hadden said that he was honoured to be chosen to lead the squad against the Greens next month.
He said: "We were thrilled to be invited up to take part in the celebrations and we will be fielding as strong a team as possible in what will be a unique game for us."
Caithness RFC have also been chosen as one of the winners of the RBS Rugby Force competition when a member of the current Scotland side will be travelling up to help promote the sport in the county, the weekend before the anniversary celebrations.
Club secretary Shona Kirk said the popularity of the sport was growing among youngsters in the area and said as well as celebrating the history of the club, she hoped the coming events could encourage more people to take up the sport.
"Rugby is starting to gain more popularity in our area over the last few years," she said.
"Our development officer [Colin Sangster] is running summer camps in Wick and Thurso for all junior age groups and we have had a lot of interest. The aim of our anniversary week is to promote the sport of rugby as well as mark 50 years of the club and we hope that it will be a fun-filled weekend."
On Friday, August 17, former Scotland prop Iain Milne, a member of the 1984 Grand Slam side, is guest at a celebration dinner, which is to include a fundraising auction.
Before the Legends match, junior teams from Caithness will take part in a mini-round robin tournament with their Caithness hosts.
The weekend will wrap up on Sunday with a fun tag rugby festival.
