Dundee unites to face US challenge
THE ERALD REPORTS

KEVIN FERRIE August 08 2008
Dundee's rugby clubs will cast aside their rivalries this week as they join together to represent their city against a select side from Alexandria, Washington DC.

The Scottish city is twinned with Alexandria, which is part of the Potomac Rugby Union covering 53 clubs all based in the Washington area, and where local organisers are looking to boost rugby's profile.

They initially proposed this match against a Dundee select, which has been put together by Ian Rankin, head coach at the city's leading club Dundee HSFP which, along with Morgan FP, provides the bulk of the home squad, though there is also representation from Panmure and the recently reconstituted Harris FP.


Having also coached the Scotland international club side for the past two seasons, Rankin's hopes for what the match can do for rugby in Dundee parallel those of the visitors.

"The players have been really excited about this and while it can sometimes be a bit more difficult with the administrators, it has been great the way everyone has responded to this," he said.

The match, at Mayfield with a 3pm kick-off, brings back memories of the bid by David Leslie, the city's greatest rugby player, to form Dundee Rugby Club 20 years ago. As an idea ahead of its time, it was a precursor to the Glasgow Hawks merger that transformed club-level rugby in Scotland's biggest city a decade later.

Leslie's vision proved too ambitious for club administrators in the city, but the former Scotland captain helped get this event under way when he made a speech welcoming the Americans at a midweek civic reception in Dundee.

What is planned as an annual fixture, with Alexandria Washington having put up the trophy, the Mayor's Cup, and inviting the Dundee side to visit them next year, will be the focus of a festival of rugby over the weekend.

The event will also include matches involving 50 of Dundee's under-15 players and a clinic run for the American team by Scotland coach Frank Hadden, at Forfar Road, ahead of another innovative match, which takes place tomorrow between a Morgan/Panmure select and a Dundee HSFP/Harris select.

This article was posted on 9-Aug-2008, 07:15 by Hugh Barrow.