Final countdown under way for Howe of Fife hooker Fraser Allan

Hooker Allan helped head coach Colin Sangster’s Reds to a 58-27 victory against Glasgow and the West at Tennent’s National League Division 1 side Highland’s Canal Park home ground in Inverness on Saturday and is now set to follow up that qualifier with another appearance for the regional representatives this weekend.

Their opponents at fellow National 1 outfit Glasgow Hutchesons’ Aloysians’ Braidholm ground will be South of Scotland and Reds will be hoping to stop the Borders and East Lothian outfit extending their winning streak against them to three games, having lost their only two meetings since the demise of the inter-district championship in 2002.

Those defeats were by margins of 40-24 in Stirling in November 2017 and 33-7 in Jedburgh 12 months earlier.

Joining Allan in Reds’ pack will be Highland’s Stephen Murray and Sean Blair, Stirling County’s Callum MacPherson, Falkirk’s Stef Yarrow, Gala’s Glen Brough, Dundee’s Sam Cardosi and Glasgow Hawks’ Oscar Baird.

Their backs will be Highland’s Adriu Muritoki and Rupeni Rokoduguni, Currie Chieftains’ James McCaig and DJ Innes, Edinburgh Academical’s Max Wallace, Glasgow Hawks’ Liam Brims and Falkirk’s Harry Russell, also captain of the squad.

Sunday’s replacements will be Highland’s Gordon Gregor and Seumas Ross, Falkirk’s Glen Faulds, Stirling County’s James Imrie and James Brough, Dundee’s Arran Hain, Currie’s Jacob Ramsay and GHA’s Archie Falconer.

Gym boss Allan, 24 tomorrow, is chuffed to get the chance to represent the Reds again after playing the best part of an hour of both their win at the weekend and a 52-7 warm-up victory against a British Army side at Howe’s Duffus Park home ground in Cupar at the start of the month, being named as man of the match for that earlier run-out.

“The group as a whole have really come together pretty easily. It all feels very natural,” he said.

“I think it’s going to be a really tough game on Sunday – they’re a pretty good outfit – but Caley are always underdogs, so we’re ready to take that fighting spirit into the game and we’ll give it a good go.”

Allan, Tennent’s National League Division 3’s only representative in Sunday’s squad, has also enjoyed taking to the pitch alongside players from the three national leagues above Howe’s, saying: “It’s a massive difference.

“Howe are in National 3 at the moment but a lot of the guys in the Caley squad normally play in the premiership, so the step up’s pretty big, but it’s been a great opportunity and I don’t feel out of place in that step-up. It has definitely been a bit of a change, though.

“It’ll be a short-lived experience but it’s been really good.”

Reds’ tries at the weekend were scored by McCaig, Wallace, Innes at the double, Rokoduguni, Brims, Magnus Henry and Baird, with Brims adding six conversions and two penalties.

Touching down for their opposition were Fraser Grant at the double and Ewan Stewart, with Chris Hyde kicking two penalties and three conversions.

Allan’s Howe team-mate Euan Bissett was also named among Saturday’s replacements and was brought on after the break.

Kick-off on Sunday is at 3.30pm and the final is being streamed live on Scottish Rugby’s website. Tickets, also available via scottishrugby.org, cost £16.46 for adults and £9 for concessions.