Three Borders derbies on way in as many weeks to kick off rugby’s next Tennent’s Premiership season

Hawick will host Selkirk at Mansfield Park on Saturday, August 27, with kick-off at 3pm, and the region’s other side in the division, Jed-Forest, are away to Edinburgh’s Currie Chieftains, last campaign’s table-toppers, at the same time.

The Greens beat the Souters both home and away last season, 23-22 in September on home turf and 14-9 at Philiphaugh in December.

Matt Carryer, Ronan McKean and Morgan Tait scored tries for Hawick in September, with Kirk Ford adding a conversion and two penalties. Scott Clark, Ryan Cottrell and Callum Anderson touched down for the visitors, with Clark also contributing two conversions and a penalty.

Kirk Ford scored a try and conversion for the Greens three months later, supplemented by a penalty try, and Keiran Clark accounted for all of Selkirk’s points tally via three penalties.

Jed-Forest lost both their games against Currie last time out, 35-17 at their Riverside Park home ground in Jedburgh in October and 46-5 in the capital in January.

Clark Skeldon and Lewis Young crossed the line for Jed-Forest at home to Currie, assisted by a penalty try, and Mason Cullen got their only try at Malleny Park.

Hawick finished last season in third place with 62 points from 18 games, with Jed-Forest third bottom on 30 and Selkirk a place beneath them on 24.

Next season’s second fixture list sees Jed-Forest hosting Hawick on Saturday, September 3, with Selkirk at home to Glasgow Hawks, both at 3pm.

Another Borders derby follows on Saturday, September 10, Selkirk hosting Jed-Forest, and Hawick are at home to Musselburgh that afternoon, also at 3pm.

Saturday, September 17, sees Jed-Forest at home to Glasgow Hawks, Selkirk on the road at Musselburgh and Hawick at Edinburgh Academical, all at 3pm.

Hawick, Jed-Forest and Selkirk are all at home on Saturday, September 24, at 3pm, to Heriot’s Blues, Musselburgh and Edinburgh Accies respectively.

They’re all away the weekend after – Saturday, October 1, at 3pm – Hawick at Glasgow Hutchesons’ Aloysians, Jed-Forest at Edinburgh Accies and Selkirk at Heriot’s – and all back home again the same time seven days later – Hawick to Marr, Jed-Forest to Heriot’s Blues and Selkirk to GHA.

The following Saturday, October 15, they’re all on the road again – Hawick at Currie, Jed-Forest at GHA and Selkirk at Marr, all at 3pm – then they’re all at home once more a week later – Hawick to Glasgow Hawks, Jed-Forest to Marr and Selkirk to Currie.

Next season’s fourth Borders derby sees Selkirk hosting Hawick on Saturday, October 29, at 3pm, with Jed-Forest at home to Currie at the same time.

The fifth follows on Saturday, November 12, Hawick welcoming Jed-Forest at 3pm, with Selkirk playing Glasgow Hawks away an hour earlier, and the sixth isn’t far behind, Jed-Forest hosting Selkirk at 3pm on Saturday, November 26, Hawick being away to Musselburgh at 2pm that day.

December sees Hawick host Edinburgh Accies and Selkirk at home to Musselburgh on the 3rd, both at 3pm, and Jed-Forest away to Glasgow Hawks at 2pm; and Hawick, Jed-Forest and Selkirk all away at 2pm on the 10th, to Heriot’s, Musselburgh and Accies respectively, and all at home at 3pm on the 17th, to GHA, Accies and Heriot’s.

Next year begins with trips to Marr, Heriot’s and GHA for Hawick, Jed-Forest and Selkirk respectively on Saturday, January 7, with kick-offs at 2pm in Troon and Edinburgh and 3pm in Glasgow.

That’s followed by a hat-trick of home games on Saturday, January 14, also at 3pm, for the Greens, Jed and Souters versus Currie, GHA and Marr respectively, then three more road trips on Saturday, January 21, all kicking off at 2pm, to Glasgow Hawks, Marr and Currie to wrap up the campaign, excluding any postponements.