Peebles on way back down after single season in rugby’s Arnold Clark National League Division 1

​Head coach Graeme Paterson’s Gytes side, promoted to National 1 as champions of the next division down just short of a year ago, will be heading back the way they came after losing their last two matches of the campaign just ended.

Their fate was all but sealed by a 43-27 defeat at home to Boroughmuir on Saturday, February 22, but they were still in with a slender chance of survival at the weekend.

To stay up, not only did they have to beat Highland away but they also needed Biggar to do them a favour by getting the better of Boroughmuir at home and, in the event, neither of those boxes was ticked as they lost 26-14 in Inverness at the same time as their South Lanarkshire neighbours were being beaten 34-21.

Those results, after 18 fixtures, leave Peebles second from bottom of the table on 34 points, basement side Dundee on 11 and third-from-bottom Highland on 40, with all three going down due to the division’s relegation zone being expanded to three teams this time round as a result of the Fosroc Super Series competitions being axed.

Also heading out of the league but in the opposite direction are champions Glasgow Hutchesons’ Aloysians after ending up seven points clear of Stirling in pole position, on 85, after a 76-12 win hosting Dundee at the weekend.

The Borders’ two other sides in the division, Gala and Jed-Forest, ended up fifth on 44 and seventh on 42 respectively after losses by 37-21 at home to third-placed Glasgow Academicals and 106-14 at second-placed Stirling County on Saturday.

They’ll be joined next season by National 2 champions Gordonians, beaten 37-24 at Stewart’s Melville on Saturday, and Arnold Clark Premiership basement side Musselburgh, confirmed as relegated by an 85-17 loss at home to Watsonians on Friday, with the two other top-flight teams going down yet to be decided.

Paterson is now setting his sights on going straight back up, telling Borders Rugby TV afterwards: “We’ll regroup and we’ll go again next season in National 2 and look to bounce straight back up.”

Looking back over Saturday’s 12th loss of the season, he added: “Unfortunately, we came second-best in terms of the result.

“It was a really disappointing result and a disappointing end to the season for us, though I know it was immaterial, having heard the Boroughmuir score.

“The effort was there, the attitude was there and we tried to stick to our task as much as possible.”

The Borderers’ tries at Canal Park, both converted by left-winger Frey Maciver, were scored by tighthead prop Ru Smith and hooker Matt Carryer.

Touching down for their hosts were Dan Corr at the double, Magnus Henry and Ruaridh Knott, with Scott Fraser adding three conversions.

Peebles, Gala and Jed are all in Border League action on the road this weekend against premiership opposition.

Peebles and Gala are away to Hawick and Selkirk respectively this Friday, both 7.30pm kick-offs and jed are at Melrose on Saturday at 3pm.