South of Scotland make five changes to starting XV for round two of this rugby season’s inter-district championship
South of Scotland have named their match-day squad for round two of this rugby season’s inter-district championship and there are five changes to their starting line-up following last Friday’s opening 38-33 win away to Edinburgh’s district side in Musselburgh last Friday.
Hooker Fraser Renwick carries on as captain for this coming Saturday’s trip up to Aberdeen to take on Caledonia Reds and he’s one of four forwards lining up for head coach Scott Wight as they were in East Lothian, along with Dan Gamble at tighthead prop, Jack Fisher at No 4 lock and Connor Sutherland at No 8.
They’re joined by four new faces – Jack Dobie at loosehead prop, Gregor Law at No 5 and try-scorer Calum Renwick at openside flanker, all replacements last time round, and Angus Dun, a travelling reserve at Stoneyhill, at blindside flanker.
Past South skippers Shawn Muir and Angus Runciman, along with Sam Derrick, drop to the bench and Patrick Anderson, No 7 against Edinburgh, is unavailable.
Struan Hutchison, a replacement in Musselburgh, is the only change to the South’s backs, taking over from the injured Liam Herdman at fly-half.
Gregor Christie, Angus Utterson, Hamish Tweedie, Andrew Mitchell, Ben Pickles and Archie Barbour continue at scrum-half, left and right wing, inside and outside centre and full-back respectively.
Those changes mean Kelso’s Gamble, Law, Tweedie, Utterson and Barbour account for a third of the South’s starting XV.
The Poynder Park club’s Arnold Clark Premiership rivals Hawick and Melrose supply four and three starters respectively, the Greens being the Renwicks, Sutherland and Mitchell and Melrose’s are Dobie, Hutchison and Pickles.
They’re joined by Currie Chieftains’ Fisher and Christie and Gala’s Dun.
Melrose’s Runciman and Derrick are accompanied by Greenyards teammates Donald and Douglas Crawford on the bench and Muir is one of two Greens there, the other being Jae Linton, with Kelso’s Euan Knox and Grant Shiells retaining the two other replacements’ jerseys.
Head coach Lewis Skinner’s Reds have made six changes following their 26-21 loss away to Glasgow and the West last Friday.
Their starters are Ayr’s Liam Brims; Highland’s Stephen Murray and Tom Smith; Falkirk’s Callum Hunter, Heriot’s Struan Cessford, Thomas Glendinning, Max Wallace, Ali Johnstone and Ruairidh Leishman; Dundee’s Seamus Gilmartin; Boroughmuir’s Josh Chapman; and Stirling County’s Eric Davey, Ryan Southern, Mikey Heron and captain Glenn Bryce.
On their bench are Howe of Fife’s Fraser Allan, Highland’s Lochlan Hodge, Stirling’s James Pow, Currie’s Sam Cardosi, Xander Sneddon of St Leonards School at St Andrews and Glasgow Hutchesons’ Aloysians’ Ben Curtis, Rikki Gilchrist and Callum Norrie.
Kick-off at Aberdeen Grammar’s Rubislaw playing fields is at 2pm.
Melrose’s Greenyards hosts this championship’s finale for the South a week later, with defending champions Glasgow and the West as their visitors and kick-off at 5pm.