Melrose RFC

Melrose Rugby Football Club is a rugby union club located in the town of Melrose in the Scottish Borders. The men's side competes in the Scottish Premiership. The club plays at the Greenyards. The club is synonymous with inventing Rugby sevens and their tournament the Melrose Sevens is one of the most prestigious sevens tournaments in the world.

Melrose

Full name	Melrose Rugby Football Club
Founded	1877; 148 years ago (1877)
Location	Melrose, Scotland
Ground(s)	Greenyards (Capacity: 16,024[1])
President	Grant Hogg
Coach(es)	Iain Chisholm & Scott Wight
Captain(s)	Angus Runciman
League(s)	Scottish Premiership
2024–25	Scottish Premiership, 6th of 12
Team kit
Official website
melroserugby.org

Between the 2019-2020 and 2023-2024 seasons the club ran a men's professional side known as the Southern Knights which competed in the Super 6 league and Super Sprint competitions.^[2]

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 ten occasions and Scottish cup winners four 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 Isaac Brace Grant Shiells Robbie Deans Nick Auterac Corey Bowker Hookers Russell Anderson Fraser Renwick Harri Morris Locks Jamie Campbell Erem Demeril	Back row Rudi Brown Wallace Nelson Alan Ferrie Sam Derrick Jordan Miller M Mbaud Harry Borthwick Scrum halves Douglas Crawford	Fly halves Jaco Van Der Valt Struan Hutchison Harris Rutherford Cammy Scott Centres Robbie Chalmers Patrick Anderson Ben Pickles Kyle McGee Mitch Richardson Wings Kori Winters Aiden Cross Finn Douglas Fullbacks Keiran Clarke David Colvine

Edinburgh Rugby players drafted:

• Jaco Van der Valt Luan de Bruin
• Charlie Sheil Nick Aurelic

Table

2023–24 Super Series Table view · watch · edit · discuss
	Team	P	W	D	L	PF	PA	PD	TBP	LBP	PTS
1	Heriot's Rugby	12	10	1	1	478	238	+240	10	0	52
2	Ayrshire Bulls (RU)	12	9	0	3	372	211	+151	8	0	47
3	Watsonians	12	9	0	3	265	231	+34	2	0	40
4	Stirling Wolves (CH)	12	6	0	6	422	286	+136	3	2	33
5	Southern Knights	12	4	1	7	282	369	-87	2	1	27
6	Boroughmuir Bears	12	3	0	9	252	389	-137	1	0	17
7	Future XV	12	0	0	12	206	543	-337	0	3	3
Yellow background indicates qualification for the final. Green background indicates semi-finalists. (CH) Champions. (RU) Runners-up.

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 now by Jerry Brett and Nick Alston . Traditionally over the seasons this team has been very competitive in the local Borders League as well as being a top Scottish U18 side playing the best XV's in the country as well as touring overseas (Monaco in 2018).^{[citation needed]} 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. There is a very strong partnership with feeder school Earlston HS.^{[citation needed]}

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 currently play in the top 2nd XV League in Scotland against sides such as Heriots Blues, Stewarts Melville, Hawick, Gala, Edinburgh Accies.

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.^{[citation needed]} 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.^[4] 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 4G pitch.

Notable former players

Scotland internationalists

Craig Chalmers Craig Joiner Steve Brotherstone Jock Allan Kelly Brown Charlie Drummond Matt Proudfoot Keith Robertson

David Chisholm George Dobson Frank Laidlaw Jim Telfer Walter Hart Derek Stark Alex Hastie Frank Coutts

Doddie Weir Carl Hogg Doug Davies Damien Hoyland John Hastie Craig Smith Bryan Redpath

Les Allan Graham Shiel Jimmie Johnston Robin Chisholm Jock Lawrie Stewart Campbell Jamie Bhatti Craig Smith Lisa Thomson Chloe Rollie Lana Skeldon Lauren Harris

Olympic Games Mark Robertson Great Britain, Silver Medal, Rugby Sevens 2016

• 

South of Scotland

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

Robin Chisholm[5] D.M. Brown[5]

Les Allan[5]

Jimmie Johnston[5]

Youth rugby

There is an under 18s team called Melrose Wasps, formerly coached by the famous Jim Telfer and now by Jerry Brett and Nick Alston. This XV plays some of the very best XV's from clubs and schools in Scotland, as well as touring overseas (Monaco 2018). 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. There is Avery strong partnership with catchment school Earlston HS.

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

• Walkerburn Sevens
  • Champions (2): 2018, 2019

See also

• Scottish Premiership Division One
• Border League
• Borders Sevens Circuit