Edinburgh Accies close gap on Melrose at top of rugby’s Kings of 7s leaderboard

Accies followed up 2025’s 40-14 victory against their hosts by handing out a 29-5 hiding to fellow capital city side Boroughmuir at Jedburgh’s Riverside Park on Saturday.

That result, combined with a 28-12 first-round knockout for series front-runners Melrose against Boroughmuir, their earliest exit so far this rugby season, takes the Edinburgh outfit to within 11 points of the Greenyards club with 20 left to play for.

That’s their third victory of the season following ones at Gala and Langholm’s sevens last month, two behind Melrose, winners at Peebles last August, Hawick and Berwick in April and Kelso and Earlston this month.

Kelso, edged out 22-21 by Accies in Saturday’s semi-finals, are the only other club still in mathematical contention for this year’s title after picking up five points for making it that far.

Nine rounds in and with two to go, Melrose remain top of the competition’s leaderboard on 67 points, with Accies second on 56 and Kelso third on 48.

Gala are the best of the rest, in fourth place on 22 points, and Selkirk, fifth with 21, aren’t far behind.

Accies got to Saturday’s last four via a 45-12 knockout of Langholm in round one and a 31-10 quarter-final win against Gala.

Boroughmuir earned their place in the final by beating Watsonians 33-19 in the last eight and Jed 33-17 in the semis after disposing of Melrose in round one.

Saturday’s two other quarter-finals delivered wins by 33-28 for Jed against Selkirk and 28-0 for Kelso versus Peebles.

They followed other first-round victories by 22-12 for Watsonians against Hawick, 48-0 for the hosts playing Berwick, 35-12 for Selkirk versus Stirling County, 24-17 for Gala against Heriot’s, 31-12 for Kelso against Edinburgh University and 41-12 for Peebles against Musselburgh.

Accies’ try-scorers against Boroughmuir in Saturday’s final were Joe Townshend at the double, Gavin Welsh, Jock Lawrie and Cameron Macdonald, with Gavin Lockhart touching down the other way.

Melrose Sevens are next up this coming Saturday and this season concludes with a first-ever Edinburgh round at Accies’ Raeburn Place ground seven days later.

Round ten of the series at the Greenyards will consist of two opening rounds followed by quarter-finals, semis and a final.

Its first round will see the Scottish Thistles play against Musselburgh, Durham University against Currie Chieftains, Newcastle Red Bulls against Glasgow Hawks and Stirling County against Edinburgh.

Round two includes one Borders derby, the hosts against Gala, and its seven other ties pit Jed against Ayr, Kelso against Watsonians, Accies against Heriot’s, Peebles against the Thistles or Musselburgh, Boroughmuir against Durham Uni or Currie, Hawick against Hawks or Bulls and Selkirk against Stirling or Edinburgh.

Entry costs from £27 for adults. For details, go to https://melrose7s.co.uk/

Looking ahead to a potential title-decider on home turf at the end of the month, Accies coach Graham Bonner told the Offside Line rugby news website: “It’s a theoretical possibility and it’d be quite nice if it went down to the wire at Raeburn Place on May 30, which it could well do.

“We’ve got a number of boys coming back next week, so we will have a stronger squad, although, to be honest, it would be pretty harsh to drop some of the boys who played today.

“This morning, I certainly didn’t expect to be in the final, if I’m being totally honest. We were struggling a wee bit for a squad this weekend, but we drafted in four schoolboys, all 18 or under, and they did fantastically well.”