Arnold Clark Men's Premiership round 15: runners, riders and verdict
01/24/2025 12:32 PM
ON DODDIE AID DAY at The Greenyards this Saturday, two of the big man's three sons will start for Melrose in their Arnold Clark Men's Premiership clash with Glasgow Hawks, with Angus is the second-row and Hamish on the wing. Spectators are being asked to wear their best Doddie Tartan and clock up some steps for the Doddie Aid personal exercise challenge which began on 1st January and is running for five weeks.
The game itself pits sixth against eighth with Melrose looking to keep up their top four challenge and Hawks determined to avoid being sucked into a relegation scrap with three teams going down from 12.
As it stands, just four points separate Hawick in seventh and Kelso in 10th while the bottom two, Marr and Musselburgh, still have enough games left to catapult themselves up the standings to safety.
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There is another Borders derby at Mansfield Park with Hawick playing bottom side Musselburgh, while a capital clash at Goldenacre sees second-placed Heriot’s take on third in the table Watsonians.
Ninth placed Edinburgh Accies welcome in-form Selkirk to Raeburn Place, while leaders Ayr host Kelso at Millbrae, and fourth placed Currie Chieftains visit Fullarton Park to take on 11th placed Marr.
How It Stands –
The Lowdown –
Edinburgh Accies v Selkirk
Venue: Raeburn Place @ 2pm
Teams –
Edinburgh Accies: M Wallace; Gavin Welsh, N Armstong ©, C Allan, R Kent; V Hart, B Grainger; C Imrie, F McAslan, C Crookshanks, G Davis, S Whittaker, G Napier, R Purvis, T Drennan. Subs: G Shannon, P Hayes, C Bain, W Cattarall, S Johnson, J Loomes, N Brown.
Selkirk: C Anderson; B Pickles, A Grant-Suttie, B Allan, J Welsh; Aaron McColm co-©, H Alderson; L Pettie, J Bett, B Riddell, Andrew McColm co-©, J Fisher, C Tait, T Wilson, K Westlake. Subs: C Cochrane, C Smyth, R Joyce, L Cassidy, O McClymont, B Cullen, E Wilson.
Key clash: Neil Armstrong versus Andrew Grant-Suttie
Team news –
Edinburgh Accies: Connor Allan starts at inside centre with Neil Armstrong moving to outside centre and Robbie Kent on to the wing, Ben Grainger starts at scrum-half and Glasgow Warriors senior academy player Rory Purvis comes in at openside flanker. Sam Johnson comes onto the bench alongside the returning Nathan Brown.
Selkirk: Dylan Brunland picked up a shoulder injury against Melrose and misses this game. Corey Tait moves into the back-row and James Bett gets his first Premiership start of the season at hooker. Callum Smyth is released from Glasgow and takes a place on the bench as does Craig Cochrane who has been showing up well for the Selkirk ‘A’ squad.
What the coaches say –
"Another big week as we welcome Selkirk to Raeburn Place and, whilst pleased with the result last weekend, we know we have to back it up …"– Iain Berthinussen (Edinburgh Accies)
"A massive win for us last week against a Melrose side that play good rugby. Edinburgh Accies will be exactly the same and we will have to stay focused and disciplined under pressure. Away from home we will need to take our chances and win the small gains over the 80 minutes and we are confident we can push them all the way for the points …"– Gordon Henderson (Selkirk)
Verdict: Both sides had important wins last weekend and will be taking some confidence into this one. Accies always enjoy playing at home, but Selkirk will want to keep up momentum and a battle for a play-off spot and they may just take the points back to the Borders here.
Away win.
Heriot's v Watsonians
Venue: Goldenacre @ 2pm
Teams –
Heriot's: D King; Z Ross, T Glendinning, F Gibson, G Coull; R Jones, S Broad; C Keen, M Liness, E McLaren, J Hill, J Campbell, R Kirkpatrick, F Thomas, R Leishman ©. Subs: A Johnston, A Munro, S Cessford, M Keough, C Townsend, J Thomas, N Sakapaji.
Watsonians: F Owsley; J Mitchell, L Berg, R Kerr, L Macpherson; C Bell, C McAlpine; D Voas, M Pritchard, A Williams, A McInnes, K Van Niekerk, A Steven, C Wilson, N Irvine-Hess ©. Subs: J Minty, C Davidson, M McGinley, J Milligan, H Fisher, M Scott, C Steele.
Key clash: Sinjin Broad versus Conor McAlpine
Team news –
Heriot's: Sam Wallace misses out due to injury and is replaced in the back-row by former New Zealand U20s hooker Flynn Thomas, who was strong off the bench last week. Euan McLaren swaps in off the bench Struan Cessford at tight-head. Behind the scrum, young Henry Kesterton has picked up a knock and is replaced by Freddie Gibson at 12.
Watsonians: Angus Williams and Conor McAlpine are released by Edinburgh Rugby and start at tight-head and scrum-half, respectively. Elsewhere, Andrew McInnes, Andrew Steven and Lewis Berg take up starting slots in place of the unavailable Luis Ball, Seb Cecil, and Dom Coetzer, while Josh Mitchell is on on the wing and Campbell Wilson is at seven.
What the coaches say –
"We were very pleased to emerge from Malleny Park with a bonus point victory last weekend, but as a squad we viewed January as a 'block' so the job is not done. Saturday will be a tough one against a skilful and well coached Watsonians team. As a squad and coaching group we feel we let ourselves down badly in the Myreside match earlier in the season and we are keen to make amends. Hopefully the wind will have died down and the pitch won't be too heavy as both teams will look to play a bit …"– Bob McKillop (Heriot's)
"Round two with Heriot’s who have been very consistent with winning and have been pushing league leaders Ayr throughout this campaign. They are a well-balanced squad with a strong set-piece as well as running backs who like to play with ball. Without doubt they will be champing at the bit to make amends from our previous encounter at Myreside. The squad are excited about the challenge and the opportunity but also recognise we will need to raise our game and perform fully for the duration. Nothing less will be good enough …”– Davey Wilson (Watsonians)
Verdict: Watsonians won 29-21 at Myreside back in early October and that remains one of their best performances of the season. They were a bit hot and cold last week versus Hawick and if they are again here then Heriot's will take advantage. It should be a cracker with the hosts coming out on top.
Home win.
Marr v Currie Chieftains
Venue: Fullarton Park @ 2pm
Teams –
Marr: C Inglis; S Bickerstaff; S McDonald, L Jarvie, J Jacobson; C Sturgeon, G Baird ©; B Sweet, S Clelland, C Miller, C Young, D Andrew, A McMichael, M Kirk, B Jardine. Subs: G Dick, Aidan Orr, A King, J Braddock, E McAra, J Scott, A Bryden.
Currie Chieftains: C Brett ©; J McCaig; R Southern, S Robeson, R Daley; Scott Clark, C Lessels; C Anderson, R Stewart, G Scougall, C West, A Bain, R Davies, S Cardosi, E Hasdell. Subs: R Vucago, G Carson, W Nelson, A Fletcher, S Leto, I Sim, F Sayers.
Key clash: Blair Jardine versus Ed Hasdell
Team news –
Marr: Calum Inglis comes in at full-back in the only change to the backline while, up front, Brandon Sweet, Scott Clelland, Glasgow senior academy player Archie McMichael, Michael Kirk and Blair Jardine are added to the starting XV.
Currie Chieftains: Gregor Scougall starts at tight-head as Cairn Ramsey injured himself against Heriot's last weekend. In the backs, skipper Charlie Brett starts at 15 and Gregor Christie is unavailable so Cameron Lessels starts at nine.
What the coaches say –
"After another disappointing outing last week we have dusted ourselves down and are ready to welcome Currie to Fullarton. We will have to be sharp in all tht we do as they a good side and well drilled …" – Kenny Diffenthal (Marr)
"We were disappointed with our performance last week against Heriot's in a match where both teams showed signs of the long break. That said, I was pleased with our competitiveness and physicality. We'll need to bring those qualities to Fullarton and sharpen our execution if we want to secure the points …"– Mark Cairns (Currie Chieftains)
Verdict: If Marr are to get out of the relegation battle they are in then their remaining home games will be crucial. They were frustrated with how they played at Kelso last time out, but Currie were frustrated by their showing against Heriot's. A settled pack should help Currie win here.
Away win.
Ayr v Kelso
Venue: Millbrae @ 3pm
Teams –
Ayr: C Hyde; T Lanni, J Shedden, R Orr, L Bardelli; B Beattie, B Frame; J Drummond, J Malcolm, C Henderson, O Baird, R Jackson, R Sweeney, T Brown, B Macpherson ©. Subs: A McGuire, C Rae, R Tanner, E Bloodworth, L McNamara, A McGowan, J Bova.
Kelso: A Barbour; D Patterson co-©, A Hall, F Robson, H Tweedie; L Herdman, A Tait; G Shiells, E Knox, D Gamble, C Thompson, K Melbourne co-©, J Utterson, M Woodcock, B McNeil. Subs: N Barnes, A McGregor, S Wood, A Utterson, W Tweedie, R Tweedie, J Walker.
Key clash: Blair Macpherson versus Bruce McNeil
Team news –
Ayr: Oscar Baird, Tim Brown, Ben Frame, Luca Bardelli and Robbie Orr all come in to start. Bobby Beattie moves from 12 to 10.
Kelso: Jack Utterson replaces Sam Wood in the back-row. Robbie Tweedie and Jack Walker come onto the bench in place of Derek Welsh and Max Cranston.
What the coaches say –
"It was good to get back out there last weekend and we were pleased with many aspects of our game. We have challenged the boys to build on that performance this week. Kelso played very well last weekend and will been keen to continue that momentum. It should be a cracking game between two physical teams …" – Grant Anderson (Ayr)
"It's a huge challenge for the team to go to Millbrae and get a result, Ayr are a formidable force and it's a big opportunity for us to test ourselves against the top club in Scotland. We will need to be at our very best and also very determined to get anything, but sport can throw up some strange results at times, so we have a chance if we can be accurate and 'on it' for 80 minutes …"– Bruce McNeil (Kelso)
Verdict: Kelso had a cracking result last week and have only made one change to their starting XV, but it doesn't get much tougher than Ayr on their home patch. Kelso will bring physicality and give it everything, but the hosts should be too strong.
Home win.
Hawick v Musselburgh
Venue: Mansfield Park @ 3pm
Teams –
Hawick: K Ford; M Reid, A Mitchell, L Armstrong, C Welsh; K Brunton, Gareth Welsh; S Muir ©, F Bell, N Little, S Frizzel, H Donaldson, F Renwick, M Brogan, C Sutherland. Subs: A Cannon, M Atkinson, M Renwick, G Huggan, L Henry, C Riddell, M Tait.
Musselburgh: B Weatherhead; T Foley, M McCowan, R Watt ©, S Watt; P Burns, S Talac; R Brown, J Talac, H Meadows, J Haynes, A Mataitini, P Bogie, F Duraj, J Lister. Subs: B Stott, E Bonthron, J Arnold, B Heber, O Craig, D Jakeman, M Crawford.
Key clash: Fergus Bell versus Jason Talac
Team news –
Hawick: Young hooker Fergus Bell comes in to start in place of the injured Russell Anderson in an otherwise unchanged starting XV. Murray Renwick and Logan Henry join the bench.
Musselburgh: The squad is freshened up with starts for the young Talac brothers, Jason at hooker and Struan at nine, the latter making his 1st XV debut. A debut is also handed to another young prospect Bruce Weatherhead at 15, whilst Murray McCowan makes a welcome return to 13 having fought his way back to fitness after an early season setback.
What the coaches say –
"We were very frustrated last week not to get the win at Myreside, however, it showed again that when we are focused and perform to our potential we are not far away from the teams at the top. This weekend we welcome Musselburgh to Mansfield and they are scrapping for everything at the minute so we know again we have to turn up and perform for 80 minutes if we want to come out on the right side of the result. The boys have trained well again and are excited to be back at Mansfield for what feels like the first time in a long time …” – Gary Muir (Hawick, DoR)
"Trips to Mansfield are never easy and this weekend is no different. We have to go with little fear of consequence and be excited to get stuck in on both sides of the ball …"– Derek O'Riordan (Musselburgh)
Verdict: Both sides lost last weekend, but Hawick maybe should have won at Myreside. It is a big day for some young players on both sides. If Hawick's senior pros step up they will keep the precious points in the Borders.
Home win.
Melrose v Glasgow Hawks
Venue: The Greenyards @ 3pm
Teams –
Melrose: M Gabe; H Weir, D Mulcahy, R Brett, C Goldsbrough; L Townsend, Scott Clark; W Owen, L Kirk, Z Swarzagak, A Weir, A Runciman ©, E Ruthven, A Ferrie, R Lindsay. Subs: B McLean, W Ferrie, J Dobie, A Common, C Fairbairn, D Crawford, K Clark.
Glasgow Hawks: E Muirhead; B Morriss, F Callaghan, C Elliot, R Flett; L Brims co-©, S Steele; I Malaulau, P Cairncross co-©, C Norrie, M Crumlish, M Oliver, A Syme, R Howie, L Stewart. Subs: K Shanahan, A Rutherford, C Nolan, Y Shaheen, G Cruickshanks, H Provan, J Couper.
Key clash: Luke Townsend versus Liam Brims
Team news –
Melrose: Connor Spence and Struan Hutchinson are both unavailable so Hamish Weir and Luke Townsend come into a re-jigged backline, along with Scott Clark. In the pack, Will Owen returns at loose-head.
Glasgow Hawks: Callum Norrie and Harry Provan are released by Glasgow Warriors and start at tight-head and are on the bench respectively. Murray Oliver returns to the squad after being injured representing Glasgow ‘A’ and is another who will be hoping to play his way into the Scotland- 20s squad. Campbell Waugh is with the 20s so Finlay Callaghan comes in at 13, allowing Ben Morriss a start on the wing. At 15, Euan Muirhead comes in for Andy McLean, who pulled his hamstring in the warm-up last week. On the bench, Andrew Rutherford comes back after being unavailable last weekend and, if he gets on, Craig Nolan will be looking to make a point after being unable to give a proper account of himself in the under-20s camp due to injury.
What the coaches say –
"After a really tough result last week the boys are keen to get back on the pitch in what will be our first outing of 2025 at home which is exciting. We've challenged players in different ways this week in specific areas of the field where we struggled last week. We're well aware of the threat that Hawks have and know we need to be more consistent in our performance over 80 minutes …"– Scott Wight (Melrose)
"It's been a fair few years since we ran out at the Greenyards in a 15-a-side game so it will be a great experience for most of our squad to play at such an iconic venue. The lads are looking forward to being on a hard track which should hopefully see both sides play an attacking brand of rugby. Last weekend I was pleased with how we fronted up in defence against a powerful Ayr outfit and we have to be at that level again this weekend …"– Andy Hill (Glasgow Hawks)
Verdict: These two sides like to throw the ball about so it should be an entertaining encounter. Having last year's Scotland under-20 tight-head Callum Norrie available helps Hawks, but Melrose like playing at home and their pack looks strong.
Home win.
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