Boroughmuir swoop to bolster squad with Ross

BOROUGHMUIR have swooped to strengthen their squad ahead of their Scottish Hydro Electric Premiership title defence by adding Dunedin rugby club star Bronson Ross.

The New Zealand-born prop has appeared in their two pre-season friendly wins against Stewart's/Melville and Tynedale, and is poised to make a further appearance when 'Muir complete their preparations at Manchester on Saturday.

President Stan Watt said of the new arrival: "Bronson is particularly welcome at a time when Cam Ward isn't due back until October. Unfortunately we will be starting against Edinburgh Accies without last year's captain Rory Couper, who has undergone knee surgery to clear up a lingering problem.

"Rory is likely to be out for six weeks in total but we have plenty cover with the likes of Tom Bury, Charlie Keenan and James Fish while, as his form at Tynedale proved, Malky Clapperton is one of the most under-rated threequarters in the club game."

Watt added: "Because of maintenance work on our pitch at Meggetland all pre-season work has had to be undertaken away. Signs are good, though, with some cracking tries being scored in a 50-34 win at Tynedale despite the fact we were missing Ollie Brown, Angus Martyn, Stephen Ruddick and Fred Lait due to a wedding." All four are expected to return this weekend, although skipper Fergus Pringle will be absent as he is undertaking a coaching course.

Meanwhile, Currie have handed the captaincy to second-row Andy Adam for the fourth consecutive season as they prepare a bid to reclaim the Scottish Hydro Electric rugby premiership title.

President Brian Buckner said: "Andy is magnificent at gathering the players around and focusing them on what has to be done."

Already this season Currie have encountered Musselburgh and Blaydon in training games while they host Ardrossan on Saturday.

That match could see young scrum-half Fraser Strachan given an extended run with Richard Snedden nursing an ankle injury, while back-rower Steve Burton has a shoulder problem.

Elsewhere in the Currie line-up, a vacancy exists on the flank where former Scotland under-21 flanker James Taggart has taken a sabbatical from rugby.

Dan Teague has been re-appointed as captain of an Edinburgh Accies side whose recruits include Tom Brown, Alex Blair and Mungo Strachan from schools rugby.

Further increasing optimism is the fact that Accies took an under-20 side to Bradford last weekend and posted a rare victory at this level while the seniors contested one of the oldest fixtures on the club schedule.