​South of Scotland bow out of rugby’s inter-district championship with win but come up short on points

Head coach Gordon Henderson’s South were one of three of the four teams competing in with a chance of winning this year’s title at kick-off, but their 28-21 victory hosting prior table-toppers Caledonia Reds was dwarfed by the 50-7 hiding handed out to Edinburgh’s district side by the Glaswegians at the capital’s Malleny Park.

Glasgow only needed to match the number of points picked up by the South against Reds at Jed-Forest’s Riverside Park and overturn an on-field points difference of four to be crowned champions for the first time since 1990 and head coach Andy Hill’s side ticked both boxes emphatically, their 43-point winning margin being tenfold the total required going into this season’s finale.

It’s also a new record margin of victory for the revived competition, outdoing the 33 points’ difference totted up by the South during their 50-17 win against Edinburgh in Galashiels in 2023.

Friday’s results leave the South and Glasgow level on 11 points from three fixtures but the latter’s on-field points difference of plus-48 is 40 better than the Borderers’, costing the red-and-white-hooped regional representatives the title they’d held since 2024, though, by way of consolation, they retain the Nairn MacEwan Cup.

Reds ended up third, on ten points, and Edinburgh bottom, with none.

The South’s try-scorers were fly-half Dwain Patterson, hooker Fraser Renwick, replacement scrum-half Douglas Crawford and lock and captain Angus Runciman, with Patterson adding three conversions.

Touching down tries for Reds, all converted by Liam Brims, were Struan Cessford, Callum Reidy and ex-Southern Knight Ruaridh Knott.

Though sad to see the title go west at least until 2027, South No 8 Connor Sutherland was happy with the performance put in by his side, telling Borders Rugby TV afterwards: “I thought we came together pretty well.

“In the first half, the ball was so slippy it was just scrum after scrum. It was a bit scrappy but the game picked up as it went on. It was tough and fast-paced. It’s a bit more physical and a bit faster than we’re used to. Everything is faster.”

The hosts’ starting line-up included all nine Borderers selected for the Scottish club XV beaten 42-33 away to Ireland last month.

Those veterans of that Dalriada Cup defeat in Dublin were Selkirk’s Callum Anderson and Ben Pickles at full-back and left-winger respectively, Melrose’s Jack Dobie and Angus Runciman at loosehead prop and No 4 lock, Hawick’s Andrew Mitchell and Fraser Renwick at outside-centre and hooker and Kelso’s Archie Barbour, Dan Gamble and Dwain Patterson at right-winger, tighthead prop and fly-half.

They were joined by the Souters’ Andrew Grant-Suttie, Hugo Alderson, Jack Fisher and Monroe Job at inside-centre, scrum-half, No 5 lock and openside flanker, along with Melrose’s Sam Derrick at blindside flanker and Hawick’s Sutherland.