Seven Greens in starting line-up for South of Scotland’s first rugby inter-district championship match since 2002

Bruce McNeil playing for South of Scotland against Caledonia Reds in Stirling in 2017 (Pic: Alwyn Johnston)

South of Scotland head coach Matty Douglas has named his squad for their first match of rugby’s 2023 Scottish inter-district championship tomorrow, May 9, and, sticking with a winning formula, he’s gone for just short of half the team that secured this year’s Scottish cup for him with Hawick against Marr in Edinburgh on Saturday.

Greens captain Shawn Muir is joined by team-mates Fraser Renwick, Nicky Little, Jae Linton, Ronan McKean, Andrew Mitchell and Kirk Ford.

Former Hawick captain Bruce McNeil, now at Kelso, is also in the South’s starting line-up.

This week’s match against Edinburgh at Netherdale in Galashiels, with kick-off at 7pm, will be the 39-year-old’s fifth, having also played in their last four fixtures – in 2017 and 2016 versus Caledonia Reds, 2011 against the Barbarians and 2009 versus Northumberland.

Tomorrow’s game will be the red-and-white-hooped regional representatives’ first at XVs since November 2017 and their first inter-district championship fixture since 2002.

Also starting tomorrow will be Selkirk’s Andrew McColm, Kelso’s Dwain Patterson, Gala’s Liam Scott and Craig Dods, Musselburgh’s Michael Badenhorst and Melrose’s Bruce Colvine and Struan Hutchison.

Four further Greens figure among the South’s replacements – club captain Matt Carryer, Shaun Fairbairn, Calum Renwick and Gareth Welsh.

They’re joined by Selkirk’s Luke Pettie, Musselburgh’s Craig Owenson, Kelso captain Frankie Robson and Melrose’s Donald Crawford, with Musselburgh’s Paul Bogie and Gala’s Ben Gill on standby.

Entry is £10 for adults and £5 for concessions.

The South will then play either Glasgow or Caledonia Reds in a final or third-place play-off at Tennent’s National League Division 1 side Glasgow Hutchesons’ Aloysians’ Braidholm ground on Sunday, May 21.

Glasgow and Reds play their qualifier at Canal Park in Inverness on Saturday, May 13.

Douglas is being helped out with coaching by Peebles’ Iain Chisholm, Melrose’s Bert Grigg and Musselburgh’s Andrew Clark.

The Hawick head coach is looking forward to fielding a team blending experience and youth against Edinburgh, telling Borders Rugby TV: “A lot of these boys haven’t been here in the past.

“There are only a couple – the likes of Bruce, Shawn and Luke Pettie – that have played in the last South games, so it’s a new influx, and the key thing for us is keeping this squad together for the next inter-distrct championship.”