Jed-Forest looking forward to change of Borders derbies next season in rugby’s Scottish National League Division 1

Now they can no longer avoid relegation, Jed-Forest’s remaining fixtures against Melrose, Peebles and Gala in rugby’s Border League will offer a preview of what lies ahead for them in Scottish National League Division 1 rather than the change from their usual derbies against Hawick and Selkirk, plus Kelso this season, they’d first envisaged, but that’s a prospect they’re relishing, according to club official Paul Cranston.
By Darin Hutson
Published 27th Dec 2023, 15:27 BST
Updated 27th Dec 2023, 16:08 BST
Rory Marshall on the attack during Selkirk's 33-12 victory away to Jed-Forest in November (Photo: Grant Kinghorn)Rory Marshall on the attack during Selkirk's 33-12 victory away to Jed-Forest in November (Photo: Grant Kinghorn)
Rory Marshall on the attack during Selkirk's 33-12 victory away to Jed-Forest in November (Photo: Grant Kinghorn)

Their next fixture in the regional competition, being played in a league format rather than pools for the first time in years, is away to Melrose at the Greenyards on Friday, March 15, with kick-off at 7.30pm, and that’s followed by a home fixture against Peebles at Jedburgh’s Riverside Park on Saturday, March 23, at 3pm, with a visit from Gala still to be arranged.

Jed go into those games against National 1’s Melrose and Gala and Scottish National League Division 2 table-toppers Peebles at the foot of the league, without any points and with a points-scored difference of minus-100, having lost all three of their premiership double-headers – by 65-35 away to Selkirk in September and 61-0 at home to Hawick and 30-21 at Kelso in October – but they’re hoping the new year will bring with it a change in their fortunes.

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Cranston is also hoping to see Jed go up against promotion hopefuls Peebles in National 1 next term, saying: “Peebles have got a great youth system and they’ve got a lot of lads coming through and they’re going to be a team that are challenging.

“I really hope, for us and for the Borders as well, that they get up into National 1 so we’ll have three sets of derbies, along with the other Border League fixtures.”

Cranston wants to see Jed taking a leaf out of the Pees’ books going forward by putting greater emphasis on nurturing youthful talent, explaining: “Having had our current old guard in place for so long has maybe put off some of our younger prospects because we’ve got some well-established players who can score some pretty great tries and it’s been hard to dislodge them from the first team, but competition for places is a bit more wide open now, I think.

“We’ve dropped down a league. I wouldn’t say we’ve got nothing to lose now because we want to retain our place in National 1, that’s for sure, but a couple of years in National 1 will do us no harm in terms of getting our young lads a bit more experience.”

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Jed’s next match isn’t until Saturday, January 20. That’s a visit from Glasgow Hawks, with kick-off at 3pm, and the hosts will be hoping they can prevent the Glaswegians notching up a winning double, having lost the reverse fixture in October by 57-19.

“That’s another one we’ll be targeting to win,” said Cranston. “They’re down at the foot of the table as well, although they’ve got a few games in hand. We know they’re a team we can challenge.”

Jed are currently propping up the premiership table, with five points from 15 fixtures, Hawks being second from bottom, on 23 from 13.

Related topics:Division 1MelroseHawickKelso