Place in the final would bea great Christmas present

It’s a tall order but victory over the Premiership’s defending champions would mean a passport to the final for the Philiphaugh side.

Selkirk certainly have every encouragement, with a chance to play arguably the best side in the country on their own patch.

Like Melrose, Selkirk also suffered a defeat when they last took the field, so they may be keen to recapture the winning touch and be able to approach the second half of the league campaign with renewed confidence.

Four of their players were yellow-carded as they went down to a disappointing 29-14 defeat to Kelso.

Last Saturday’s game, at home to Cartha Queen’s Park, was called off and is due to be played, along with other weather casualties that day, on January 5.

“If we win (tomorrow) we are in the Border League final, so it’s a big incentive and a big challenge for us,” said director of rugby Ewen Robbie.

“It’s Melrose, at this time of year. It will be a hard, hard challenge but it’s at home, which is a massive bonus for us, and we’re looking forward to it.

“You obviously don’t get too many chances to play Melrose, who are in the league above, and I think the boys will be up for it. At the end of the day, we just have to get on and do what we can. There’s not really any other explanation for it – we just have to front up.

“We’ll not get a lot of chances at all and, when we do get those chances, we need to make sure we are accurate and make the most of them.”

Robbie hinted some less-familiar faces may take part, allowing some of the regular Selkirk players a rest for Christmas.

“I think they deserve it, with the length of the season and the amount of commitment they have put in,” he added.