Duns RFC

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Duns RFC

Full name	Duns Rugby Football Club
Emblem	Two Bears either side of a rugby ball
Colours	Red and Black
Founded	1878
Sport	Rugby union
League	National League Division 2 and Border League Pool B
Ground	Hardens Field
Official website	None

Duns Rugby Football Club are a rugby union side based in Duns in the Borders, Scotland.

They are known as 'The Dingers' from the town motto "Duns Dings A" (Duns Beats All).

They currently play in National League Division 2 (the Fifth Tier of the Nine Tier Scottish rugby system) and the Border League Pool B (the oldest established rugby union league in the world). They will also enter the National Cup and its various offshoots, along with various local Rugby Sevens tournaments. Duns are the only Border League side not to have their own Sevens tournament.

Recent seasons have seen a decline in the fortunes of a club who were only a few years ago almost promoted to the Premiership, and appeared in the final of the BT Scotland National Bowl at Murrayfield Stadium in Edinburgh.

The club attracts a small home support of between 20 and 50, and usually takes around a dozen supporters to away league games.

They recently replaced their traditional strip of red and black horizontal hoops, with a more modern black shoulder and sides merging into light red chest. The club does not operate a 2nd XV or Womens XV, but does have a number of youth teams.

1 Membership of Governing Body
2 Home Venue
3 This season
4 The Future
5 See also

[edit] Membership of Governing Body

Duns are a full member club of the Scottish Rugby Union and are in the SRU's East region, section 1 (Scottish Borders).

[edit] Home Venue

They play at Hardens Field, located near Clockmill, a small hamlet outside Duns. The pitch is grass and is not equipped with floodlights. The clubhouse, changing rooms and other club facilities are located in Newtown Street in Duns, roughly 1.5 miles or 10 minutes drive away. The club trains on Tuesday and Thursday nights on the floodlit council pitches at Todlaw in Duns.

The ongoing construction of a new Berwickshire High School with integrated sports facilities (including rugby pitches and floodlighting together with changing rooms, training areas, a gym and an all-weather pitch) beside the old Berwickshire High School on the Langtongate (between Clockmill and Duns), has led to talk of the rugby club selling Hardens Field to the developers of the housing estate that surrounds it, and moving to the school fields. A lobby group known as Sportduns involving Duns RFC, Duns Amateurs FC (who currently play in Gavinton due to the unavailability of a suitable venue in Duns), and other local sports groups including hockey and squash, has been set up to support this bid.

The club works in close co-operation with Duns Minis, who organise rugby at primary school and early secondary school level and are officially associated with the club, and the Berwickshire High School, which has squads for various age groups and play friendly matches.

[edit] This season

So far this season has proved disappointing, with every match ending in defeat, often by large scorelines. The club has also struggled to raise a squad on many occasions (resulting in the postponement of one fixture), and were also without a physio/first aid staff member for part of the year. They currently (December 4) lie bottom of both the National and Border Leagues; however due to reconstruction of the National League they need only finish off the bottom and they will not be relegated. There is no relegation from the Border League, although after failing to fulfil any of their four fixtures last season, and having made a bad start to this year's tournament, pressure is building to replace them with local rivals Earlston.

In the National League, Duns currently (December 4) have 0 normal and 1 bonus points from a possible 52 normal and 26 bonus points. They have played 13 games out of 22. Having postponed a game against their relegation rival Stewartry (they failed to raise a team) it has been suggested they will be fined 2 points, which would almost certainly mean relegation unless a miraculous turnaround in form can be achieved.

In the Border League, Duns currently (December 4) have 0 normal and 0 bonus points from a possible 4 normal and 2 bonus points. They have played 1 game out of 4 (excluding final). Their match against Melrose was postponed, probably through a combination of heavy rain, lack of players on Duns' part, and the attraction of the Scotland v Australia international test on the same day.

They have yet to play a National Cup match.

They have entered one Sevens tournament, and were eliminated in the First Round (losing 55 - 0 to Selkirk in the Kelso 7s).

Their results and fixtures in the 2006/2007 season are as follows (National League Division 2 unless stated):

Saturday 5 Aug 2006 SEASON OFFICIALLY OPENS

Saturday 12 Aug 2006 Kelso 7s Duns were eliminated in First Round: Duns 0 - 55 Selkirk

Saturday 19 Aug 2006 Peebles 62 - 7 Duns (Southern Reporter Border League Pool B, Matchday 1)

and also scheduled was Sunday 20 Aug 2006 Selkirk 7s (Duns did not enter)

Saturday 26 Aug 2006 Duns 5 - 41 Falkirk

Saturday 02 Sep 2006 Duns 18 - 30 Linlithgow

Saturday 09 Sep 2006 Annan 71 - 1 Duns

Saturday 16 Sep 2006 Duns 14 - 34 Glasgow Academicals

Saturday 23 Sep 2006 Stewartry v Duns postponed, as Duns could not raise a team (new date not yet confirmed)

Saturday 30 Sep 2006 Caithness 65 - 8 Duns

Saturday 07 Oct 2006 Duns 14 - 31 Highland

Saturday 14 Oct 2006 Garnock 78 - 5 Duns

Saturday 21 Oct 2006 Duns 13 - 16 Allan's Glen

Saturday 28 Oct 2006 Howe of Fife 92 - 0 Duns

Saturday 04 Nov 2006 Duns 10 - 29 Kilmarnock

Saturday 11 Nov 2006 Falkirk 43 - 5 Duns

Saturday 18 Nov 2006 Linlithgow 71 - 0 Duns

Saturday 25 Nov 2006 Melrose v Duns (Southern Reporter Border League Pool B, Matchday 2) postponed (new date not yet confirmed)

Saturday 02 Dec 2006 Duns 7 - 31 Annan

Saturday 09 Dec 2006 Duns v Helensburgh (National Cup, Round 1) KO 1:30pm

Saturday 16 Dec 2006 Glasgow Academicals v Duns KO 2pm

Saturday 23 Dec 2006 No match due to Christmas

Saturday 30 Dec 2006 No match due to New Year

Saturday 06 Jan 2007 Duns v Stewartry KO 2pm

Saturday 13 Jan 2007 Duns v Caithness KO 2pm

Saturday 20 Jan 2007 National Cup/National Plate match KO unconfirmed

Saturday 27 Jan 2007 Highland v Duns KO 2:30pm

Saturday 03 Feb 2007 National Cup/National Plate/National Bowl match (if still in competition) KO unconfirmed

Saturday 10 Feb 2007 Competitive International Weekend (Scotland v Wales)

Saturday 17 Feb 2007 Duns v Garnock KO 3pm

and also scheduled was Duns v Selkirk, moved to Saturday 17 Mar 2007

Saturday 24 Feb 2007 Competitive International Weekend (Scotland v Italy)

and also scheduled is Duns v Kelso (Southern Reporter Border League Pool B, Matchday 4) KO 3pm

Saturday 03 Mar 2007 Allan's Glen v Duns KO 3pm

Saturday 10 Mar 2007 Competitive International Weekend (Scotland v Ireland)

Saturday 17 Mar 2007 National Cup/National Plate/National Bowl/National Shield match (if still in competition) KO unconfirmed

and also scheduled is Duns v Selkirk (Southern Reporter Border League Pool B, Matchday 3) KO 3pm

Saturday 24 Mar 2007 Duns v Howe of Fife KO 3pm

Saturday 31 Mar 2007 Kilmarnock v Duns KO 3pm

and also is scheduled Sunday 01 Apr 2007 Gala 7s

Saturday 07 Apr 2007 National Cup/National Plate/National Bowl/National Shield match (if still in competition) KO unconfirmed

Saturday 14 Apr 2007 Melrose 7s

and also is scheduled Sunday 15 Apr 2007 Berwick 7s

Saturday 21 Apr 2007 National Cup/National Plate/National Bowl/National Shield match (if still in competition) KO unconfirmed

and also is scheduled Saturday 21 Apr 2007 Hawick 7s

and also is scheduled Sunday 22 Apr 2007 Peebles 7s

Saturday 28 Apr 2007 Standby date for postponed matches

Saturday 05 May 2007 National Cup/National Plate/National Bowl/National Shield Final, at Murrayfield Stadium (no other matches allowed) KO various

Saturday 12 May 2007 Standby date for postponed matches

Saturday 19 May 2007 It is not uncommon for an International Test to be scheduled for this weekend

Saturday 26 May 2007 SEASON OFFICIALLY CLOSES

POSTPONED/UNFIXTURED MATCHES

(1) The date for the postponed Stewartry v Duns match has not yet been released

(2) The date for the postponed Melrose v Duns match has not yet been released

(3) The date for the final of the Border League has not yet been released

Additionally, the match on Saturday 24th February may be unviable if many of the players are attending Scotland v Italy

Additionally, if Selkirk or Duns are still involved in cup matches on Saturday 17th March then their Border League Pool B match will have to be postponed

REMAINING SEVENS TOURNAMENTS CURRENTLY UNFIXTURED

Saturday 28 Apr 2007 (unconfirmed) Langholm 7s and Sunday 29 Apr 2007 (unconfirmed) Earlston 7s

Weekend of 5 & 6 May 2007 (unconfirmed) Jed Forest 7s

[edit] The Future

The club is currently experiencing a poor run of form, which reflects a recent downturn in the standard of players available. Working from a small pool of talent to begin with, the club has in the past year or so struggled to attract enough adult players - less local men want to play rugby, the best talent is attracted to larger Border clubs, and poor results discourage players from wanting to turn out for the club. Changes in coaching staff and two recent relegations have also damaged the club's appeal. Of course, poor results encourage players to leave the club, which in turn causes a weaker team to be fielded, and poor results continue. The financial difficulties of playing 11 away league matches plus cup matches a season, generally against clubs based in the central belt and the north-east, also places a strain on the club, which attracts only a few dozen fans to home games, and does not charge admittance. Fundraising, sponsorship and local community donations sustain the club.

On the positive side, the young players being forced into regular first team action are gaining valuable experience, and they remain within touching distance of Stewartry who lie 7 points above them (on December 4), but with a game in hand. Victories in both matches against Stewartry remains the only chance of avoiding relegation - and even then is dependent on Stewarty losing their game in hand, not taking a bonus point from matches against Duns, and then equalling them to the season's end. However, having failed to raise a team for the match against Stewarty earlier in the season, it has been suggested in some circles that the match will not be rescheduled, but instead Duns will be fined points (possibly 2) and/or Stewartry will be given points - this would almost certainly consign the club to relegation.

In the longer term, the survival of the club will be dependant on a strong youth set-up, and the ability to keep players who progress to adult level; best use of those adult players the club does possess; and a continuing policy of financial security.

Other possible measures, such as a merger with Eyemouth White Horses RFC (also struggling to attract players) and Earlston RFC to form 'Berwickshire Rugby' may have to be considered if the player pool continues to shrink unsustainably.