Champions Watsonians first up for Southern Knights as rugby’s Super6 contests return in new formats

Billy Wara in action for Southern Knights against Watsonians at the Greenyards in Melrose in August (Photo by Simon Wootton/SNS Group/SRU)

That game at the capital’s Myreside Stadium will be on Saturday, April 8, with kick-off at 3pm.

The Borderers, with Bruce Ruthven as head coach at the time, only came up against Watsonians once in last year’s inaugural Fosroc Super6 Sprint Series, as it was then, losing 29-20 at home at Melrose’s Greenyards last April.

They also lost home and away to then head coach Fergus Pringle’s capital side in the ensuing Fosroc Super6 Championship, by 36-12 at home in August 38-14 away in October.

Sam Derrick on the ball during for Southern Knights versus Watsonians at Melrose's Greenyards in August (Photo by Simon Wootton/SNS Group/SRU)

Knights only won two matches last championship season as they headed for a second-bottom finish, by 20-3 away to Stirling Wolves in August and 27-20 at Edinburgh’s Heriot’s in October, losing their other eight fixtures.

That followed a bottom-placed finish in the sprint series, winning only one game, against Heriot’s by 19-14 at the Greenyards in June.

Both Knights and Watsonians now have new head coaches and they’re both Borderers, Kelso’s Alan Tait having taken over at the former and Galashiels’ Stevie Scott at the latter, winners of both the sprint series and championship last time round.

Both are former Scottish internationals, British and Irish Lion Tait, 58, having been capped 27 times between 1987 and 1999 and Scott, 48, 11 times between 2000 and 2004.

The new Super Series Sprint will see all six Super6 teams play each other once in a league format, as well as playing either a Glasgow Warriors or Edinburgh A side, the latter in Knights’ case.

The United Rugby Championship clubs’ A sides will drop out after the first three rounds of the competition, leaving the existing Super6 outfits to vie for the title.

Round two will see the Knights on the road to Edinburgh’s Goldenacre Playing Fields to take on Heriot’s Rugby on Saturday, April 15, also at 3pm.

They’re at home to Edinburgh A, returning to the Greenyards after holding an open training session there last month, in round three on Saturday, April 22, at 5pm.

They stay at the Greenyards for round four, hosting Ayrshire Bulls at 5pm on Saturday, April 29, then head up to Stirling next time out on Saturday, May 13, at 3pm.

Round six sees them back in Melrose versus Boroughmuir Bears on Saturday, May 20, at 5pm, with play-offs to follow on Friday and Saturday, May 26 and 27.