South of Scotland name squad to play Gala next month
South of Scotland have named their squad for a stand-alone fixture against a Gala select XV in April and their line-up will be little changed from the one that beat Caledonia Reds 28-21 in their inter-district rugby championship finale at Jedburgh’s Riverside Park earlier this month.
Their 25-strong training squad for that match at Netherdale in Galashiels on Saturday, April 4, with kick-off at 3pm, as part of the Maroons’ 150th anniversary celebrations will be made up of 11 backs and 14 forwards, with Arnold Clark National League Division 1-bound Selkirk again claiming the lion’s share of red-and-white-hooped jerseys.
The Souters supply nine of the players selected – Jack Fisher, Grant Paxton, Bruce Riddell, Taylor Wilson, Hugo Alderson, Brodie Allan, Callum Anderson, Andrew Grant-Suttie and Ben Pickles.
Kelso – the Borders’ top dogs in the Arnold Clark Premiership this time round, finishing fifth on 47 points from 18 fixtures – are next best represented with seven selections, namely Euan Knox, Harris Ross, Gregor Law, Cammy Thompson, Archie Barbour, Liam Herdman and Dwain Patterson.
The Poynder Park club’s premiership rivals Hawick and Melrose contribute four players apiece, with Nicky Little, Connor Sutherland, Andrew Mitchell and Charlie Welsh representing the Greens and Sam Derrick, Jack Dobie, Angus Runciman and Douglas Crawford their Greenyards opposite numbers.
Jed-Forest’s Garry Young is the only selection currently playing in National 1.
Lock Runciman carries on as captain.
The only names missing from the South’s last championship match-day squad of 23 are Hawick’s Fraser Renwick, Kelso’s Dan Gamble, Selkirk’s Monroe Job and Gala’s Robbie Irvine.
The new faces coming in a month on are Paxton, Wilson, Allan, Ross, Law and Thompson.
South operations director and Gala executive committee member Ewen Swinton is looking forward to seeing the regional representatives – championship runners-up this time round following wins against Reds and by 31-22 at home to Edinburgh’s district side at Hawick’s Mansfield Park in November and a 36-28 loss away to champions Glasgow and the West in December – making one last appearance before next season, saying: “We have had a wonderful season back with the South and the excitement among the players to pull on the famous red-and-white hoops, and supporters to get out and see them, has been fantastic.
“It is a great honour to be asked by Gala to provide the opposition to help celebrate their 150th year, and though it has been a long season for the players, many of whom have also represented their country against Ireland, there has been a lot of enthusiasm to play in this game.
“There are some new faces getting the chance to step into the South colours, with all Gala players kept for the Gala president’s select XV, of course, and I’m sure it will be a great afternoon of rugby and socialising, with lots of famous South faces and fans from the past joining in with the players and supporters of the present.”
The South’s game against Gala will be their first stand-alone XVs fixture for almost nine years.
Their last one, followed by eight championship fixtures since May 2023, saw a side skippered by Gala fly-half Gregor Hunter and with Jed-Forest’s Kevin Barrie as head coach beat Reds 40-24 at Stirling’s Bridgehaugh Park in November 2017.
That was only their fourth 15-a-side game of this century, following wins by 33-7 against Reds in Jedburgh in November 2016, 22-15 versus the Barbarians in Hawick in October 2011 and 37-3 hosting Northumberland in Galashiels in December 2009.