​Selkirk claim sixth win of Scottish Premiership rugby season at Accies

​Selkirk have long been out of contention for rugby’s Scottish Premiership play-offs but their 31-29 win at Edinburgh Academical on Saturday might well end up deciding the fate of the only semi-final-qualifying place still at stake.
By Darin Hutson
Published 31st Jan 2024, 05:00 BST
Updated 31st Jan 2024, 05:01 BST
Scrum-half Hugo Alderson on the ball during Selkirk's 31-29 win away to Edinburgh Academical at Raeburn Place on Saturday (Photo: Grant Kinghorn)Scrum-half Hugo Alderson on the ball during Selkirk's 31-29 win away to Edinburgh Academical at Raeburn Place on Saturday (Photo: Grant Kinghorn)
Scrum-half Hugo Alderson on the ball during Selkirk's 31-29 win away to Edinburgh Academical at Raeburn Place on Saturday (Photo: Grant Kinghorn)

​Table-toppers Hawick, second-placed Marr and third-placed Currie Chieftains have already booked their play-off places, being respectively 26, 16 and 14 points clear of fifth place, but fourth is still up for grabs.

Kelso’s 25-20 win at home to Currie at the weekend lifted them up to fourth, on 47 points from 16 fixtures, and Selkirk’s victory over fifth-placed Accies, now on 46 points with only one game left to play, has given their fellow Borderers a helping hand in keeping hold of it, though sixth-placed Heriot’s Blues and seventh-placed Musselburgh are still in with a chance of overtaking them.

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The Souters’ tries at the weekend were scored by Callum Anderson at the double, Aaron McColm and Finlay Wheelans, with Hugo Alderson converting all four and also kicking a penalty.

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Zen Szwagrzak on the attack during Selkirk's 31-29 win away to Edinburgh Academical at Raeburn Place on Saturday (Photo: Grant Kinghorn)Zen Szwagrzak on the attack during Selkirk's 31-29 win away to Edinburgh Academical at Raeburn Place on Saturday (Photo: Grant Kinghorn)
Zen Szwagrzak on the attack during Selkirk's 31-29 win away to Edinburgh Academical at Raeburn Place on Saturday (Photo: Grant Kinghorn)

Accies’ try-scorers were Dom McGrath at the double, Richard Thomson, Patrick Ritchie and Connor Allan, with Max Wallace and Allan adding a conversion apiece.

Their win in the capital leaves them eighth in the table, on 35 points from 16 fixtures, ahead of a visit from Hawick this coming Saturday, with kick-off at 3pm and the Bill McLaren Shield also being contested.

Head coach Gordon Henderson was delighted to see his side notch up their sixth victory of his inaugural campaign in charge, saying: “It was an excellent result.

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“We hadn’t played but we trained really well over that time. The guys have worked really hard and the energy they showed at the weekend was outstanding.

Callum Anderson, with Finlay Wheelans in support, being halted during Selkirk's 31-29 win away to Edinburgh Academical at Raeburn Place on Saturday (Photo: Grant Kinghorn)Callum Anderson, with Finlay Wheelans in support, being halted during Selkirk's 31-29 win away to Edinburgh Academical at Raeburn Place on Saturday (Photo: Grant Kinghorn)
Callum Anderson, with Finlay Wheelans in support, being halted during Selkirk's 31-29 win away to Edinburgh Academical at Raeburn Place on Saturday (Photo: Grant Kinghorn)

“For 80 minutes, all 20 players put a shift in, so we made an impact from the start and from the bench as well.

“I was really pleased with how we created our scores.”

Looking ahead, he added: “We’d like to get a wee bit closer to the couple of teams above us in the league and we could have a big say in who finishes fourth.

“We’ve got a massive game against Hawick this Saturday, which is going to be a massive challenge for us but we’re excited about it, and one at Heriot’s to finish, and they may well still be in the hunt for fourth place but it’s Kelso’s to lose now, I think.”

Related topics:Scottish PremiershipSelkirkBorderersHawickKelso