Peebles keep up winning beginning to new rugby season
Peebles followed up their winning start to the new Arnold Clark National League Division 2 rugby season on the road seven days prior with another victory on home turf on Saturday.
Those wins – by 13-12 at Howe of Fife at the end of August and 39-26 hosting Edinburgh’s Stewart’s Melville at the Gytes at the weekend – were the Pees’ first season-opening back-to-back victories since 2023 en route to their since-reversed promotion to National 1 as champions that time round.
That time round, they kicked off with four September wins on the trot – at home to Aberdeen’s Gordonians by 27-17 and Stirling County by 28-15 and away to Stewart’s Melville by 42-27 and Falkirk by 36-22 – before being edged out 27-26 hosting Lasswade.
Next up for head coach Graeme Paterson’s Borderers as they target a third success in succession is a trip to Kirkcaldy this coming Saturday, with kick-off at 3pm.
They’ll head up to Fife sitting third in the table, on nine points from two fixtures, with Gordonians and Highland above them, both on ten points.
Upcoming hosts Kirkcaldy are sixth, on five points from two rounds, after winning 22-17 away to Dundee on Saturday gone.
The Pees went unbeaten against the Fifers last season, drawing 29-29 away last September and winning 17-10 at home in February.
Captained by hooker Matt Carryer, Peebles’ try-scorers against their Edinburgh opponents on Saturday were replacement Louis Whyte at the double, loosehead prop Cameron Grant, lock Finlay Collins and outside-centre James Dow, with fly-half Liam Irvine adding four conversions and two penalties.
Angus Abel, Archie Clark and Chris Baikie at the double scored the fourth-placed visitors’ tries, with Adam Fraser adding three conversions.