Melrose still 21 points clear at top of rugby’s Kings of the 7s table despite semi-final exit at Selkirk Sevens

The five points they earned from their 19-7 semi-final knockout by eventual winners Kelso keep them more than two wins clear of second-placed Edinburgh Academical due to the capital city side going out at the same stage, losing 36-7 to Currie Chieftains.

Melrose are now on 67 points from eight rounds, with Accies on 46 and Kelso, now the only other side in mathematical contention to stand between the Greenyards club and their 11th title, on 43, with 30 points still up for grabs.

Bouncing back from a pool-stage knockout at their own tournament seven days earlier, Kelso notched up their first win of the campaign – after making it to two finals and two semis, alongside three hauls of three points – by handing out a 40-10 hiding to Currie at Philiphaugh.

That was Kelso’s 15th win at Selkirk’s sevens and their first for almost three decades, their last, by 43-24 against Carlisle Raiders, having been back in 1997.

Their try-scorers, all at the double, were Hamish Tweedie, Liam Herdman and Dwain Patterson, with Patterson, named as player of the tournament, adding five conversions out of a possible six and Fraser Sayers touching down two unconverted tries in reply for their Edinburgh opponents.

Making up the rest of Kelso’s winning squad were Adam Hall, Max Cranston, Will Tweedie, Archie Barbour, Nik Stingl, Murray Woodcock and Cammy Thompson.

Kelso’s made it to the semis and final via a 31-14 first-round defeat of Boroughmuir and 26-0 knockout of Edinburgh University in the last eight.

Currie got there by beating Peebles 24-19 in round one and their hosts 36-17 in the quarter-finals.

Round one’s other winners were the Souters by 26-0 versus Gala, Accies by 21-12 against Jed-Forest, Stirling County by 22-10 against Hawick, Edinburgh Uni by 24-19 against Heriot’s, Melrose by 28-5 against Watsonians and the Durham students by 31-12 facing a president’s seven.

Saturday’s two other quarter-finals saw Melrose get the better of Durham Uni by 17-12 and Accies edge out Stirling 21-19.

Kelso coach Bruce McNeil was glad to see his club – third-placed finishers in last season’s Kings of the 7s after wins at home and Langholm – get off the mark this time round, telling the Offside Line rugby news website: “The boys were probably hurting from last weekend at our own sevens.

“We were probably overwhelmed a bit by the occasion and things didn’t go to plan.

“Credit to the boys for coming here and firing shots. If a team were going to beat us, they would have had to do really well.

“Our boys ran their socks off out there and fully deserved the win.

“I just really want to praise their attitude in training, their resilience and hunger for wanting to get to the final and then the hunger to win the final against a really-stacked Currie team.

“I think we varied again quite well. We kicked when we were in control of kicking. We focused really hard on the contact area and a lot of things we’ve done in training – set-piece, kick-offs et cetera.

“We’ve got better. Credit to the players just for being resilient and understanding that what we do on the training field has to apply in the game.”

Round nine of the current campaign is at Jedburgh’s Riverside Park this coming Saturday, starting at 2pm.

Entry is £16 for adults and £12 for concessions.

Like Selkirk’s at the weekend, Jed’s sevens will start with an eight-tie first round followed by quarter-finals, semis and a final.

Saturday’s first round will see Melrose go up against Boroughmuir, Hawick against Watsonians, the hosts against Berwick, Selkirk against Stirling, Accies against Langholm, Gala against Heriot’s, Kelso against Edinburgh Uni and Peebles against Musselburgh.

Jed go into their tournament looking for their first win on home turf since 2022 after ending up as beaten finalists for the last three years running – losing to Accies in 2025 by 40-14 and to Melrose in 2024 and 2023, by 19-12 and 26-19 respectively.

The two rounds remaining after that, both on Saturdays as well, are at Melrose on May 23 and Edinburgh’s Raeburn Place on May 30.