Hawick hoping to follow up Tennent’s Premiership title win with cup run

Hawick’s last crowning as champions of what is now rugby’s Tennent’s Premiership was accompanied by winning the sport’s Scottish cup and their director of rugby, John Hogg, is calling for a repeat of that feat as they prepare for a second-round tie away to Edinburgh Academical this weekend.
By Darin Hutson
Published 22nd Mar 2023, 11:27 BST
Updated 22nd Mar 2023, 11:31 BST
Bruce McNeil in action for Hawick during their 55-17 Scottish cup final defeat by Boroughmuir in April 2015 at Edinburgh's Murrayfield Stadium (Pic: SNS Group/SRU/Craig Watson)Bruce McNeil in action for Hawick during their 55-17 Scottish cup final defeat by Boroughmuir in April 2015 at Edinburgh's Murrayfield Stadium (Pic: SNS Group/SRU/Craig Watson)
Bruce McNeil in action for Hawick during their 55-17 Scottish cup final defeat by Boroughmuir in April 2015 at Edinburgh's Murrayfield Stadium (Pic: SNS Group/SRU/Craig Watson)

The Greens, this year’s premiership champions following their 21-18 play-off final win at their Mansfield Park home ground a week ago on Saturday, take on fellow capital side Accies at Raeburn Place in the cup this Saturday, with kick-off at 3pm.

That second-round trip follows a 34-7 first-round knockout of Jed-Forest at home at the start of February.

Hide Ad
Hide Ad

Hawick beat Accies home and away in the league this season, by 41-0 in December and 13-12 in September respectively, but Hogg isn’t reading too much into that.

“We’re obviously looking forward to it but it’s going to be hard, there’s no question about that,” he said.

“We’re still unbeaten so everybody will be wanting to take our scalp, which is only right and is good for the game, but we’ll just keep taking it a game at a time, and if we beat Accies, then we’ll move on and keep plugging away and do the best we can every Saturday.

“It would be nice if we could do the double but we’ll just have to keep working away as hard as we can and see how we go.

Hide Ad
Hide Ad

“We beat Accies 13-12 the last time we were there and we only won it with virtually the last kick of the game, so it’s going to be a hard tie.

“They were in the top four and they’re a good side, so we’re expecting a very hard match.”

Kelso, Selkirk and Melrose, given byes for the first round, enter the cup this Saturday, and they’re at home to Heriot’s Blues and Musselburgh and away to beaten premiership play-off finalists Currie respectively, all 3pm kick-offs too.

This year’s cup is the first since 2019, Ayr being the current holders.

Hide Ad
Hide Ad

Hawick’s two final victories, in 1996 and 2001, make them the region’s second most successful side, after Melrose, in the cup along with Gala, winners in 1999 and 2012, but they’re hoping they can improve on that record.

The Greens beat Watsonians 17-15 in 1996 and Glasgow Hawks 20-17 after extra time in 2002.

They’ve made it to one final since then, in 2015 with current head coach Matty Douglas in their squad, but were given a 55-17 thumping by four-time winners Boroughmuir.

Related topics:HawickPremiership