There is an unnatural feel about Sunday rugby at whatever level, but tomorrow it will be embraced by a whole raft of teams who have been starved of a game over the past few weeks. As a result, the outcome of several matches in the BT Scotland Premier second and third divisions will have considerable impact on the promotion and relegation prospects of several sides.
Top match in the second division is at Rubislaw, where leaders Aberdeen GSFP take on the side currently tipped to go up along with them, Stirling County.
''It is almost like starting all over again,'' said John Fleming, the Aberdeen coach, ''but the fact that we didn't play last week means we have everyone back except Steve McLachlan, who will be out for another week. We will have Reivers' Matt Taylor in the back-row, and with Steve Newton returning at full back, we are looking pretty strong. In both our matches at Stirling this season, neither has been a runaway win and we would expect a pretty close one.''
That was an opinion echoed by Eddie Pollock, the Stirling coach, who reckoned the match would be too close to call. ''We have a full strength side with Malcolm Norval and Gareth Flockhart in the pack, and Sangster, McGradles and Jardine in midfield. Both sides have excellent defences and the one who can best unpick the other will probably get the result.''
Ayr travel to Torrance House at the beginning of a remarkable week. The Millbrae men have opted to slot another of their postponed matches in on Wednesday night when Biggar will come to Millbrae, so they now face three crucial league fixtures in six days. ''It is a gamble, but if we come through all three then we are still in the promotion race,'' said coach Rab Dale.
EK coach Steve Blair, who confirmed that ill-founded speculation about his future had unsettled both himself and the team before a crucial came, was hopeful of having both Fraser Stott and Colin Stewart in the ranks for Ayr's visit.
''We need the rub of the green,'' he suggested, ''because we haven't carried too much luck this season. Knowing both sides, I would suggest that the game will be won round the fringes where we both are particularly strong.''
A win for the visitors, if it came with a bonus, would lift them to joint fourth alongside Peebles with a game in hand, while an EK victory could be the start of the long haul away from the relegation area.
Even at Poynder Park, Kelso must be vulnerable at the moment with a third of the top squad unavailable through suspension, but in adversity a Border club can be a dangerous beast. A win for West would be a huge boost to their hopes of staying up while defeat for Kelso would virtually put paid to their promotion hopes.
The one to watch in the third division is the contest between a Berwick side who have sneaked up on the rails to claim joint second place and new leaders Grangemouth. Around 4.30 there will be mobiles buzzing between Scremerston and Inverleith, because if Grangemouth lose and Murrayfield Wanderers get a result at Stewart's-Melville, then they would go back to the top of the table, but if that scenario is reversed, Grangemouth would start to open a decisive lead at the top. Berwick simply lie in wait.
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