Gala stay third in table after derby-day win away to Jed-Forest

That sixth win eight rounds into this rugby season leaves head coach Ewen Robbie’s Maroons on 31 points, trailing second-placed Marr by two and undefeated table-toppers Stirling County by eight.

A sixth defeat of this term for head coach Michael Harshaw’s Jed sees them fall one place to eighth, still on 17 points, and the division’s other Borderers, Derek O’Riordan’s Selkirk, stay at the foot of the table, on seven points, now seven adrift of second-from-bottom Glasgow High Kelvinside, after being beaten 29-12 at home to Stirling at Philiphaugh at the weekend.

Gala’s tries at Jedburgh’s Riverside Park, all converted by fly-half Harris Rutherford, were touched down by hooker Dylan Homan at the double, No 8 and captain Robbie Irvine and openside flanker Jamie Bell.

Replacement Lewis Young and left-winger Robbie Shirra-Gibb scored their hosts’ tries, both converted by No 8 Finn Scott.

The Souters’ try-scorers during their seventh loss of the season, offset by one win versus Jed last month, were fly-half Aaron McColm and loosehead prop Luke Pettie, with scrum-half Alfie Lightfoot adding a conversion.

Touching down tries for head coach Bob McKillop’s visitors, featuring former Gala and Southern Knights prop Marius Tamosaitis among their replacements, as they kept their 100% start to the season going were hooker Kieran Docherty, scrum-half Eric Davey, inside-centre Mikey Heron, right-winger Calum Ferrie and full-back and co-captain Glenn Bryce, with fly-half Cieran Milligan adding two conversions.

Opportunity knocks for Gala to overtake Marr this coming Saturday as they’re at home to the South Ayrshire side, with kick-off at Netherdale at 3pm.

Jed and Selkirk are both on the road, respectively at Stirling and seventh-placed Musselburgh, and they’re both 3pm kick-offs too.

The Maroons were edged out 28-27 in last season’s corresponding game against their Troon opponents in Galashiels in January and also lost the preceding September’s reverse fixture on the west coast, by 59-14.

Jed conceded 200 points in their two meetings with Stirling last time round, losing 96-0 on the road in January and 104-24 at home three months prior.

Selkirk and Musselburgh, both relegated since, haven’t gone up against each other since the 2024-25 Arnold Clark Premiership season, with the Borderers winning 53-24 at home in March 2025 and 55-38 away in East Lothian the month before.