Melrose RFC

Melrose Rugby Football Club is a rugby union club located in the town of Melrose in the Scottish Borders. The club plays at The Greenyards and competes in the Super 6, where they are known as the Southern Knights.[2]

Melrose
Full nameMelrose Rugby Football Club
Founded1877 (1877)
LocationMelrose, Scotland
Ground(s)The Greenyards (Capacity: up to 15,000[1])
PresidentDouglas Brown
Coach(es)S Johnson
Captain(s)Richard Ferguson
League(s)Super 6
2018–19Scottish Premiership, 4th of 10
Team kit
2nd kit
Official website
www.melroserugby.org

History

The club was formed in 1877 and was elected to full membership of the Scottish Rugby Union in 1880.[3] The club have played at the Greenyards since the club's inception.[3]

Melrose have been Scottish champions on nine occasions and Scottish cup winners three times. They lifted the Scottish Cup in 1997 to complete a domestic double and have also won the Border League on 17 occasions.

Despite the population of Melrose hovering around 2000 for a number of years the team has been a consistently successful club in the upper echelons of the Scottish game.[3]

Current squad
Southern Knights Super 6 squad

Props

  • Mak Wilson
  • Conor Young
  • Grant Shiells
  • Shaun Gunn
  • Ewan McQuillin

Hookers

  • Russell Anderson
  • Fraser Renwick
  • Finlay Scott

Locks

  • Ruaridh Knott
  • Calum Crookshanks
  • Angus Runciman
  • Alan Gregory
  • James Head

Back row

  • Harri Morris
  • Dalton Redpath
  • Iain Moody
  • Rory Darge
  • Dylan Taylor
  • Neil Irvine-Hess

Scrum halves

  • Murdo McAndrew
  • Bruce Colvine

Fly halves

  • Craig Jackson (c)
  • Struan Hutchison

Centres

  • Gavin Wood
  • Patrick Anderson
  • Thomas Galbraith
  • Ciaran Whyte
  • Andrew Nagle

Wings

  • Joe Jenkins
  • Michael Mvelase-Julyan
  • Jacob Henry
  • Iain Sim

Fullbacks

  • Fraser Thomson
  • Nathan Sweeney
(c) denotes the team captain, Bold denotes internationally capped players.
* denotes players qualified to play for Scotland on residency or dual nationality.

Edinburgh Rugby players drafted:

Teams

As well as the Super 6 and 1st XV, Melrose have a youth side (Melrose WASPS) and a reserve side (Melrose Storm). The club had a successful Ladies side until 2018.

Melrose Ladies

Melrose Ladies was one of the top women's teams in Scotland, competing in the Scottish Premiership and the Scottish Cup. The team produced a number of players who went on to represent Scotland. Four members of the current Scotland squad – Lisa Thomson, Lana Skeldon, Lauren Harris and Chloe Rollie – played at Melrose. The team folded in 2018.

Melrose Wasps

There is an under 18s team called Melrose Wasps, formerly coached by the famous Jim Telfer and David Sheil, now by Ciaran Hogg. Over the last couple of years this team as become more competitive in the local borders league they play in coming 2nd in 2009 behind Hawick Wands in 2009, with good players such as Grant Runciman, Richard Ferguson, Craig Marshall, Bruce Colvine and a lot more. That year they were very successful in the 7s circuit winning the kings of the 7s. Melrose rugby club also have an under-16, under-15, S2, S1, and then all primary ages groups however only start playing matches at Primary 4. The girls section – called the Queen Bees – involves girls from P4-P7.

Melrose Storm

Melrose's reserve side is known as the Melrose Storm. They broke records by winning the National Reserve League three seasons in a row (2016, 2017 & 2018). They are the current holders of the Walkerburn Sevens title.[4][5]

Sevens tournament
Main article: Melrose Sevens

Melrose is most famous as the host of the first-ever rugby sevens tournament in 1883, the abbreviated game having been invented by Ned Haig, a local butcher. The first Melrose Sevens was won by Melrose, beating local rivals Gala in the final during extra time. The Melrose Sevens, played on the second Saturday in April every year, remains the most popular Scottish Sevens tournament, regularly attracting crowds in excess of 10,000. In honour of the role of Melrose RFC in the creation of rugby sevens, the club was inducted along with Haig to the IRB Hall of Fame in 2008.[6] Melrose have had some recent success in their home tournament, coming runner-up on a couple of occasions and winning it in 2011. In 2010 they were crowned Kings of the Sevens winning the Kelso, Earlston, Gala and Jedforest sevens and placing respectably in the others.

The stadium

Melrose play at the Greenyards. They have played here since the club was formed. The grandstand has wooden benches and is painted in the club colours; yellow and black.

In 2019 the famous turf of The Greenyards was replaced with a 3G pitch.

Notable former players

Scotland internationalists

South of Scotland

The following former Melrose players have represented South of Scotland at provincial level.

Youth rugby

There is an under 18s team called Melrose Wasps, formerly coached by the famous Jim Telfer and David Sheil, now by Ciaran Hogg. Over the last couple of years this team as become more competitive in the local borders league they play in coming 2nd in 2009 behind Hawick Wands in 2009, with good players such as Grant Runciman, Richard Ferguson, Craig Marshall, Bruce Colvine and a lot more. That year they were very successful in the 7s circuit winning the kings of the 7s. Melrose rugby club also have an under-16, under-15, S2, S1, and then all primary ages groups however only start playing matches at Primary 4. The girls section - called the Queen Bees - involves girls from P4-P7.

Honours

Men's
  • Scottish Premiership
    • Champions (10): 1989-90, 1991-92, 1992-93, 1993-94, 1995-96, 1996-97, 2010-11, 2011-12, 2013-14, 2017-18
    • Runners-Up (2): 2014-15, 2016-17
  • Scottish Cup
    • Champions (4): 1996-97, 2007-08, 2016-17, 2017-18
    • Runners-Up (6): 2000-01, 2008-09, 2009-10, 2010-11, 2012-13, 2015-16
  • Kelso Sevens
    • Champions (18): 1932, 1933, 1937, 1946, 1947, 1949, 1950, 1952, 1974, 1980, 1988, 1998, 2009, 2011, 2014, 2015, 2016, 2018
  • Langholm Sevens
    • Champions (9): 1933, 1947, 1950, 1952, 1963, 1992, 1999, 2002, 2014
  • Melrose Sevens
    • Champions (12): 1883, 1885, 1889, 1931, 1947, 1948, 1950, 1952, 1975, 1997, 1998, 2011
  • Hawick Sevens
    • Champions (4): 1910, 1958, 1974, 2014
  • Gala Sevens
    • Champions (10): 1886, 1889, 1938, 1953, 1962, 1987, 1999, 2000, 2010, 2011
  • Berwick Sevens
    • Champions (1): 2002
  • Jed-Forest Sevens
    • Champions (11): 1908, 1909, 1910, 1964, 1999, 2003, 2005, 2010, 2011, 2014, 2018
  • Peebles Sevens
    • Champions (13): 1932, 1960, 1968, 1970, 1971, 1976, 1979, 2009, 2010, 2013, 2014, 2016, 2018
  • Selkirk Sevens
    • Champions (12): 1932, 1946, 1951, 1961, 1965, 1985, 1995, 1998, 2000, 2014, 2016, 2017
  • Earlston Sevens
    • Champions (21): 1949, 1950, 1951, 1957, 1965, 1972, 1977, 1979, 1982, 1985, 1986, 1990, 1996, 2002, 2010, 2011, 2012, 2013, 2014, 2015, 2018
    • Melrose hold the record of most consecutive victories in the tournament (6): 2010, 2011, 2012, 2013, 2014, 2015
  • Kings of the Sevens
    • Champions (8): 1999, 2000, 2002, 2005, 2010, 2011, 2013, 2014
  • Walkerburn Sevens
    • Champions (6): 1932, 1947, 1975, 1987, 2010, 2013

Melrose Storm

See also

References
  1. "'Muir magic at Melrose".
  2. https://www.scottishrugby.org/news/melrose-announce-name-change-as-southern-knights
  3. Bath, p91
  4. https://twitter.com/melrosestorm?lang=en
  5. https://www.peeblesshirenews.com/sport/17666594.storm-retain-walkerburn-sevens-title/
  6. "IRB Hall of Fame Welcomes Five Inductees". International Rugby Board. 2008-11-23. Archived from the original on 2009-02-23. Retrieved 2008-11-23.
  7. "The Glasgow Herald - Google News Archive Search".
  • Bath, Richard (ed.) The Complete Book of Rugby (Seven Oaks Ltd, 1997 ISBN 1-86200-013-1)
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