A TALENTED team of Dunfermline Rugby Club youngsters are ready to take their talents further afield after an unbeatable first league season.

The under-14 boys’ side took part in their first competitive league – the Boys’ West Club Conference – last year after returning to action following the easing of COVID-19 restrictions.

Consisting of seven teams, the others being Greenock Wanderers, Whitecraigs, Dumfries Saints, Livingston, Kilmarnock, Cartha Queens Park and Hamilton, they took the division by storm.

Dunfermline won all seven of their matches, scoring 206 points while conceding 10, in what head coach Dave Mallinson described as “a really good year”.

In April, they are set to showcase their skills south of the border when they go on tour to Cleveland, and could be heading to Hong Kong in late 2023 – by which time they will be an under-16 side – for a once-in-a-lifetime trip to the other side of the globe.

“This is the first year they’ve been allowed to go into a league because, last year, the whole system fell down because of the COVID restrictions,” Dave explained.

“They were supposed to start at under-13 but they went into this year at under-14.

“They also played three of the teams from the national league, won two of those games and lost the other game by a small margin, so they’re doing very well.”

Prior to that league beginning, the team’s last match had been the day before the country was locked down in March 2020 but a variety of activities were held online to keep the majority of the 27-strong squad together.

“We lost a couple during that period,” Dave continued.

“We kept them going and got through with 24 in the team.

“As soon as we were allowed by the SRU (Scottish Rugby Union) to get them back, we started to work within the rules to get the fitness back up, then get the skill levels up, and get them prepared to start playing full-contact games again, which went very well.”

The team is always on the lookout for new players and, to find out more, and get involved, you can email drfc2008@outlook.com; find Dunfermline RFC 2008 on Facebook; or watch them in action on Youtube, by searching Dunfermline boys rugby U14.