Kings of 7s resume for 2023 with Melrose Sevens

Another change of format is promised as the latest in a succession of rejigs will see a pre-qualification tournament and an under-18s competition added, both intended to encourage greater participation by other clubs in the region.

This year’s main event, the centrepiece of four days of activities, will take place this Saturday at the Greenyards.

It will be preceded tomorrow by the youngsters’ contest, to be held at Hawick, and a pre-qualification tournament at the Greenyards, with a final to follow on Saturday, for 16 teams from across Scotland and northern England to vie to book places at 2024’s sevens.

Tickets for Melrose Sevens are priced at £35 for adults and £15 for under-18s, with children under five getting in free of charge. For details, go to melrose7s.co.uk

Melrose Sevens was expanded to a four-day weekend of rugby and entertainment last year after being cancelled due to the coronavirus pandemic in 2020 and 2021.

Last year’s winners were a British Army team, that being the ninth time on the trot the title had gone to a team from outwith the region.

The last Borderers to win were Melrose themselves in 2011 and, before that, Gala back in 1999.

Borders sides have regularly made it through to the final in recent years, though – Melrose in 2018 and 2017 and Jed-Forest in 2016 and 2012.

The hosts were the Borders team to progress furthest last time round, being knocked out by invitational outfit Samurai 24-14 in the semi-finals, with Samurai then losing 26-14 to the soldiers’ side in the final.

Jed were the only other Borderers to make it to the quarter-finals, losing to Samurai at that stage by 33-21.

This weekend’s Melrose Sevens form the fourth round of the current Kings of the 7s competition following August’s tournaments at Peebles, Hawick and Gala.

Gala are currently topping the leaderboard with 20 points, ahead of 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 current champions Jed yet to get off the mark.

Edinburgh opposition await four of the Borders sides competing at Melrose.

The draw for this year’s 1883 Centenary Cup men’s competition’s first round, from 11am to 1.06pm, sees Kelso up against Boroughmuir to begin proceedings at the Greenyards, Jed taking on Edinburgh Accies next, Gala playing Watsonians after that and Hawick facing off against Heriot’s later on.

The two others Borders sides involved in the first round, Selkirk and Peebles, will be up against Glasgow Hutchesons’ Aloysians and Stirling respectively.

Hosts Melrose enter in the second round, playing either Kelso or Boroughmuir, as do invitational sides including the British Army team that won last year.

The other sides joining in at the second-round stage are Speranza 22, London Scottish, Monaco Impis, Samurai, Lions Rugby 7s and Wild Dogs.

Tournament director Phil Morris said: “It’s a really good-looking draw for this year’s Melrose Sevens, with some exciting clashes from the very first game, and we are anticipating a very high standard of rugby this year.

“We know our knowledgeable Greenyards fans are going to enjoy a fabulous day of high-quality rugby sevens.”