Rugby clubs in Borders tell of disappointment about season being axed

Though last week’s announcement by Scottish Rugby that competitive games at school and club level won’t be making a comeback until next spring at the earliest came as no surprise, it has sparked some concerns for the future of the sport in the region.

Kelso Rugby Club administrator Norman Anderson said: “Obviously, we are disappointed that there will be no competitive rugby at Poynder Park this season.

“However, it was a fairly inevitable decision which has been made.

“All sections of the club have been in training for several months and it will be a sickener for the players.

“It was decided that the Borders’ teams would be playing virtually a local league with all clubs in the same health board area and there would be a minimum of travel involved. Kelso’s furthest away match would have been against Hawick.

“It is, however, more important that the club takes cognisance of the pandemic and we really do want rid of it before we can be assured of playing safely again.

“We are delighted that club members, sponsors and pitch side advertisers have rallied round and supported the club as if the season was going ahead as normal.

“We are indebted to the continued support of our members and sponsors, whose assistance in these challenging times is very much appreciated and valued.

“That support has allowed the club to sustain its day-to-day business and remain an integral part of the community when we have no competitive rugby this season.

“A tremendous amount of voluntary work has been going ahead in the background to get things organised for a return to rugby but, sadly, to no avail.

“We have got back to the situation of the clubrooms being in use for small groups fitting in with social distancing – for example, Pilates and gym classes.

“The club gym is back in operation again, fitting in with the rules and regulations for the social distancing.

“The big concern, however, is that players find something else to do on a Saturday afternoon or training nights.

“Other sports are being allowed to go ahead competitively locally.

“We need to keep our players interested so that when we come through safely at the other end, we still have enthusiastic Kelso folk playing the game at Poynder.”

Jed-Forest president Paul Cranston expressed similar concerns, saying: “Obviously, we’re all very disappointed by Scottish Rugby’s decision to close the 2020-21 competitive season, but it was to be expected due to Nicola Sturgeon’s announcement that some areas would be moving to tier four.

“The timing of the announcement isn’t ideal.

“Although Scottish Rugby has said there may be local friendlies in the new year, these probably won’t take place until March at the earliest, so trying to keep players motivated and interested will certainly be a worry.

“We’ve already reduced our training to once a week, and after speaking to our players at Thursday’s night’s training, I’m pretty confident that they’ll want to continue with the hope of some rugby in the new year.”

Gala president Ian Dalgleish is also fearful of interest waning in a game in abeyance, except at international level, since March.

“It is, of course, very disappointing news that there will be no competitive rugby for this season, although it was not entirely unexpected,” he said.

“We understand the need for the rugby community to act responsibly and put the safety of players, officials, volunteers and local communities first.

“Nevertheless, it does raise fresh concern about the long-term threat to grass-roots rugby and will increase the probably-inevitable drift of players, volunteers, officials, sponsors and spectators away from the sport.

“All clubs will need to work extremely hard to counteract this threat and ensure that the game offers the interest, engagement and enjoyment that will retain all these stakeholders in the longer term.

“In the short term, there is some hope that friendlies between Border clubs could take place in the first quarter of the year, provided infection levels in the area remain low enough and that the Scottish Government, Sportscotland and Scottish Rugby can agree to the resumption of full-contact activities.”

Melrose director of rugby Rob Moffat said: “The news is hugely disappointing but not altogether unexpected.

“We know it’s a tough decision, and we appreciate that the need to ensure everyone’s safety has to take priority.

“All our Melrose players at all levels will, of course, be frustrated, but they won’t be disheartened.

“We’ll continue to train within the guidelines and use the time constructively to work on skills and fitness.

“We still have a full Super6 programme to look forward to in spring next year, and in Scottish Rugby’s announcement, they hinted at the possibility of local friendly fixtures in the months ahead.

“That’s something to remain positive about and we are very keen on exploring these options with other Border teams so we can all enjoy some competitive rugby sooner rather than later.”

Selkirk chairman Dennis Henderson is also trying to remain upbeat, saying: “It’s good to note that despite the competitive season now being cancelled, Scottish Rugby chiefs remain hopeful that local friendly fixtures could take place this season when it is safe to do so.

“With positive news being announced by covid-19 scientists on an almost-daily basis, and with work progressing well on several vaccines, who knows where we will be by the start of 2021.

“Selkirk Rugby Club certainly appreciates the effort and time spent by our players and coaches over the past four months getting ready to return to rugby.

“We hope their endeavours can be rewarded by 15-a-side rugby hopefully resuming in the spring and our sevens tournament going ahead in May.”

Hawick’s director of rugby, Garry Douglas, added: “This wasn’t unexpected as we knew with the covid numbers rising, it would be silly to be playing games and putting players at added risk.

“The announcement has at least brought us out of a state of limbo as we didn’t know if we were coming or going.

“It was tough to tailor training as we didn’t know when the league would start.

“The boys were super-fit as they had been in pre-season training from July and were raring to go for a September start and then an October start.

“However, people’s lives are far more important than a game of rugby, so we fully understand the decision.

“Our attention now needs to go towards keeping players interested and ensuring that they keep fit and motivated and don’t drift away from the game.

“They are still able to work hard in the gym and we are training once a week to keep them ticking over nicely.

“It’s just sad that lads who were having their last season won’t get a final hurrah or a chance to play that last game in front of their supporters.

“Hopefully, we may see some friendly matches in the new year and even perhaps a Borders league. We will just have to wait and see how it unfolds.

“We just want to thank all our lovely supporters for their support over this tough season and we can hopefully make it up to them with some silverware next year.”

The Melrose-based Southern Knights look set to be the first team in the region to get back in action as rugby officials are hoping this Fosroc Super6 season can be staged at a later date rather than scrapped altogether.

“Fosroc Super6 teams will continue to work towards the possibility of delivering a full programme of fixtures, with the aim of starting at the end of March 2021 should government guidelines allow,” said a spokesperson for the sport’s governing body.

Bosses at Langholm Rugby Club in next-door Dumfries and Galloway have voiced similar concerns to those raised by their peers in the Borders, with a spokesperson saying: “We are obviously very disappointed by the news that there will be no rugby this season.

“Although numbers at senior training remain very good, it will be difficult keeping players focused when there are no matches on Saturdays.

“Our coach, however, is very optimistic that the squad will carry on training into the new year and beyond.

“Youth rugby numbers are actually up on last season despite there being no tournaments or matches and, again, the youngsters are keen to keep training.

“Club members have been very generous with subscriptions and we thank them for their support.

“There is concern about our sevens in April and we have to be realistic that they might not happen in 2021.

“With next season being our 150th anniversary, recent positive news about vaccines hopefully means it will run as normal and we can celebrate that great milestone in style.”