A dozen Borders derbies on way in rugby’s Scottish premiership next season

Kelso's Kevin Dryden tackling Hawick scrum-half Gareth Welsh during the two sides' last meeting, 2022's Border League final (Pic: Bill McBurnie)

Next rugby season’s Scottish premiership fixture list is out now and with Borders teams accounting for four of the ten making up the division, every third game of the regular campaign they play will be a derby.

Next season’s first derbies don’t arrive until the third week of fixtures – Saturday, September 16 – and a double helping will be on offer, defending champions Hawick hosting new boys Kelso and Selkirk welcoming Jed-Forest.

The last time Hawick and Tennent’s National League Division 1 champions Kelso met was in April 2022’s Border League final, won by the Greens by 18-14.

Selkirk and Jed-Forest’s last meeting yielded a 28-19 victory for the former at the latter’s Riverside Park home ground in Jedburgh at the end of November, and the Souters also won the reverse fixture at Philiphaugh eight days earlier, by 36-10.

The next set of derbies follows on Saturday, October 7, with Jed hosting Hawick and head coach Kevin Utterson’s Kelso at home to Selkirk.

Head coach Matty Douglas’s Greens won both their league fixtures against Andrew Brown’s Jed last season – by 26-7 at home in November and 22-12 away in September – and also beat them in the Scottish cup’s first round on their way to a 31-13 victory in May’s final against Marr at Edinburgh’s Murrayfield Stadium, by 34-7 at home in February.

Saturday, October 28, is next term’s third derby day, with Hawick hosting Selkirk and Kelso at home to Jed.

The Souters were the only team to take a point off Hawick last season, drawing 20-20 with them away at Mansfield Park at the end of August, but they lost the reverse fixture at the end of October by 17-8.

Derby day No 4 is Saturday, November 18, with Kelso hosting Hawick and Jed at home to Selkirk.

A fifth follows on Saturday, December 9, Hawick hosting Jed and Kelso at Selkirk.

The sixth and last is what’s scheduled to be the final day of the regular part of next season, postponements permitting – Saturday, February 3 – and it sees Jed at home to Kelso and Selkirk hosting Hawick.

Hawick begin the defence of the title they won at home to Currie Chieftains by 21-18 in March’s play-off final back at Mansfield Park on Saturday, September 2, hosting Glasgow Hawks.

Selkirk are also at home that weekend, to Currie, as are Jed, to Edinburgh Academical, but Kelso are away, at Musselburgh.

All kick-offs are at 3pm except Hawick’s game at home to Jed on December 9, that being a 2pm kick-off.

Next season’s full fixture list can be found at …

https://fixtures.scottishrugby.org/club-rugby/2023-2024/3220