Hughie Donaldson on the ball during Hawick’s 27-22 derby win at home at Mansfield Park to Selkirk on Saturday in rugby’s Arnold Clark Premiership (Photo: Grant Kinghorn)Hughie Donaldson on the ball during Hawick’s 27-22 derby win at home at Mansfield Park to Selkirk on Saturday in rugby’s Arnold Clark Premiership (Photo: Grant Kinghorn)
Hughie Donaldson on the ball during Hawick’s 27-22 derby win at home at Mansfield Park to Selkirk on Saturday in rugby’s Arnold Clark Premiership (Photo: Grant Kinghorn)

Derby victory v Selkirk lifts Hawick into top half of rugby’s Arnold Clark Premiership

​Hawick have joined fellow Borderers Melrose and Selkirk in the top half of rugby’s Arnold Clark Premiership following their 27-22 home win against the Souters on Saturday.

​That seventh-round derby victory has lifted the Greens up one place to sixth, on 19 points, with Melrose and Selkirk fourth and fifth respectively, both on 21.

That was Hawick’s fourth win on the spin against their neighbours after ones by 59-3 away in February, 36-8 at home last October and 17-8 away in October 2022 and it keeps up their unbeaten record against them since their arrival in the premiership five years ago, their last loss to them having been by 28-17 in a Border League pool match at home in March 2017.

Head coach Graham Hogg’s hosts’ try-scorers at Mansfield Park were hooker Fraser Renwick, full-back Kirk Ford and, taking his tally for the season to six, outside-centre Andrew Mitchell, with Ford adding two conversions and a penalty.

Touching down for visiting head coach Gordon Henderson’s side, earning them two bonus points on the road, were ex-Hawick hooker Corey Tait at the double, tighthead prop Ryder Joyce and loosehead prop Luke Pettie, with scrum-half Hugo Alderson contributing a conversion.

Round eight of the new season this coming Saturday takes Hawick to Glasgow Hawks’ Balgray Stadium, with Selkirk at home at Philiphaugh to Heriot’s, both 3pm kick-offs.

Hawick and Selkirk enjoyed mixed fortunes against their upcoming opponents last term. The former beat Hawks by 36-15 away last November and by 27-12 at home two months prior but the latter lost by 33-10 away to Heriot’s in February and by 26-13 at home last October.

Hawick captain Shawn Muir is glad to be going into that away-day on the back of two wins on the spin including a derby victory, telling Borders Rugby TV: “It was tough. It was a proper Border derby.

“I’m delighted with the five points. We’ve had to put massive emphasis on the last two weeks, including at Musselburgh last week and the next few games, and to get two five-point wins in a row is huge. It breeds confidence into the team.

“Selkirk were tough. We knew they wouldn’t go away. We saw their game against Melrose the other week that they won at the death and I worried history was going to repeat itself at the end, but luckily the boys got it over the line and I’m absolutely delighted.

“It was frustrating. It was nervy at the beginning. It was a typical Border derby – there were mistakes, there was physicality, there was passion, there was everything in it and it was a good game to play in.

“It’s five points against Selkirk – I’m not going to grumble with the start they’ve had.”

Selkirk try-scorer Tait was disappointed to end up on the wrong side of a result on his return to home-town but believes the two consolation points they picked up will come in handy, saying: “We’ve been going really well lately but this was obviously a bit of a hiccup.

“Coming to Mansfield Park is always a really hard thing, so to get two points out of it is good. We’re disappointed not to have won but getting two points is really valuable, especially given how tight the league’s going to be this year. Getting two points is massive.”

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