Switch of date for Selkirk’s rugby sevens to avoid clash with King Charles III’s coronation

This year’s edition will be held at the Souters’ Philiphaugh ground at the end of May rather than the start to avoid clashing with King Charles III’s coronation and the final of rugby’s Scottish cup, making a comeback after three years off.

Pushing it back in the calendar from its original date of Saturday, May 6, to Saturday, May 20, will make it the tenth and last round of the current Kings of the 7s competition rather than the second last.

That switch of date is intended to be for this time round only.

A spokesperson for the club said: “For one year only, Selkirk Sevens are moving to be last tournament of the Kings of the 7s series.

“2024 will see us move back to our traditional date in May before Jed-Forest Sevens.”

Three rounds of the present series have been played – at Peebles, Hawick and Galashiels in August last year – and the competition is set to resume at Melrose on Saturday, April 8.

Six further rounds will follow at Berwick, Langholm, Kelso and Earlston in April and Jedburgh and Selkirk in May, though Berwick and Jed’s dates have yet to be confirmed.

Gala are the series’ current front-runners, with 20 points, followed by Edinburgh’s Watsonians on 18, Melrose on 17, Peebles on 13, Edinburgh Academical on 11, Hawick on ten, Kelso on six, Selkirk on five, Berwick on three and Jed-Forest on zero.

Jed were last year’s Selkirk Sevens winners, beating the hosts 24-12 in the final.