And with Melrose Ladies going for the Women's Bowl title, a double victory is very much on the cards for the Greenyards outfit.

It's been a long road for the Melrose 1st XV, who began their cup trail in February with a decisive 85-10 victory over Kilmarnock, before knocking out Glasgow Hawks 48-3, favourites Boroughmuir 16-0, Hawick 34-17 and Watsonians 23-10.

On Saturday, their opponents are Heriot's – the last team to beat Craig Chalmers' men, way back on a dreich Saturday in early January.

The Melrose coach remains undaunted, however. That 16-15 defeat at Goldenacre is naught but a distant memory as he prepares his team for cup final glory.

He told TheSouthern: "Heriot's have come onto their game recently, but we have also had a good end to the season.

"The game in January was a closely-run game which could have went either way.

"Playing in the final of the Scottish Cup is a totally different ball game and our guys are excited about it, and more than ready for the challenge."

Chalmers should know exactly what to expect.

He was part of the Melrose team that won the cup in 1997.

On that occasion, Melrose beat Boroughmuir 31-23 following a hat-trick of tries, three penalties and a conversion from Rowen Shepherd, with Mark Moncrieff scoring the other try.

Now, in a different millennium, the 60-times capped Scotland and British Lions stand-off was loath to draw on his own experience in Scottish club rugby's blue riband event.

He added: "Club rugby has changed so much since we won back then. It has been a really tough road to the final for the players and now we have to focus on what's ahead. Everyone is fully fit and raring to go."

After receiving their respective playing bans from the SRU Disciplinary Panel last week, Melrose players John Dalziel and Kieran Cooney will watch Saturday's game from the touchlines.

Cooney, who has taken on the role of equipment manager for the occasion, told us: "We're disappointed not to be playing, but we appealed and now we have to just accept the decision.

"We have been fully involved in the run-up to the final and will be there supporting the team in every way we can on Saturday.

"Everyone has been training hard and there is a good squad here in Melrose.

"I'm sure they can go out and win on Saturday without us."

Earlier in the day, Melrose Ladies take on Morgan Dundee in the Women's Bowl final on the Murrayfield back pitches, where Hayley Higgins hopes to help her team to victory, before watching her father, Richard, turn out for the men's team in the cup.

Hayley told us: "We're quite excited about being in the final and are looking forward to meeting Morgan. We have never played them before, which is probably a good thing as we have nothing to fear from them."

The club is running supporters' buses for the cup final. They leave from the clubhouse at 12.30pm, but must be pre-booked.