Hawick move above Melrose in rugby’s Arnold Clark Premiership table ahead of first top-flight derby for seven years

The results that sent them in those different directions were a 36-22 victory for Hawick hosting Glasgow Hawks and a 52-15 thumping for Melrose at home to table-toppers Ayr on Saturday gone.

Head coach Graham Hogg’s Mansfield Park men and joint opposite numbers Scott Wight and Iain Chisholm’s side are both now on 40 points, with the former on top by virtue of points-scored difference and also with a game in hand, having played 16 to Melrose’s 17.

Those mid-table placings see them sandwiched by fellow Borderers Selkirk and Kelso as they’re fifth, on 47 points from 16 matches, and ninth, on 35 from 17, after a 22-14 defeat at second-placed Heriot’s and 36-17 win at third-from-bottom Edinburgh Academical at the weekend respectively.

Outside-centre Andrew Mitchell got a hat-trick for Hawick against Hawks as they bounced back from being 17-13 behind at half-time, with scrum-half Logan Henry also touching down and full-back Kirk Ford kicking four penalties and two conversions.

Scott Steele, Yousuf Shaheen and James Couper scored their visitors’ tries, with Harry Provan adding two conversions and a penalty.

Touching down tries for Melrose were right-winger Morgan Gabe and lock Angus Weir, with fly-half Luke Townsend adding a conversion and penalty.

Scoring the other way for their visitors from South Ayrshire were Tom Lanni with a hat-trick, Alex McGuire twice, Jamie Shedden, Blair Macpherson and Rory Jackson, with Chris Hyde kicking half a dozen conversions.

Hogg was delighted to see his side bounce back from a 34-15 derby defeat at Selkirk seven days prior, telling us: “We knew we hadn’t performed to the levels we expect of ourselves against Selkirk, so to get that result on Saturday was obviously a big thing for us.

“The boys had worked well all week and they responded to the conversations we had during the week and the performance they put in, especially in the second half, to get the win was very pleasing.”

So pleased was Hogg to see his side notch up their seventh win of the season that he believes they can now resume thinking about challenging for a top-four place as well as striving to avoid relegation and reckons this coming Saturday’s derby at home, with kick-off at 2.30pm, would be a good place to start, saying: “Games against Melrose again are games we want to be part of and we’ll certainly be making sure we’re ready for the weekend.

“We’re literally just going week by week and where we finish is where we finish this season and we can go from there. We’ve still got aspirations to get in the top four but we’re very close to the bottom four as well.”

Melrose openside flanker and captain Elliot Ruthven is also looking forward to Melrose’s first premiership game at Mansfield Park since a 48-19 win in September 2018 – followed by a 48-19 victory in the reverse fixture at the Greenyards that September and only a 20-7 Border League away defeat last March since – telling Borders Rugby TV: “We know it’s a big game and it’s a big game for the table as well.

“It’s not an easy place to go either. We know what that Hawick team can bring, but if we front up, I think we can do something there.”

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