What channel is the Melrose Sevens on? How to watch live coverage of Borders tournament

The 141st edition of the famous Melrose Sevens takes place at the Greenyards on Saturday

A staple of the Scottish rugby calendar, the Melrose Sevens kicks off at the Greenyards on Saturday morning, with the first tie between Hawick and Currie scheduled for 11.04am. Twenty-four teams are taking part in the men’s tournament and reigning champions, Monaco Impis, are returning to defend their title as they bid to retain the 1883 Centenary Cup. They will take the field just after 1pm, with Glasgow Accies providing the opposition in the second round.

Melrose Sevens schedule

Sixteen men’s teams will contest eight first-round ties. The eight other teams - the hosts and the guest sides - have a bye into the second round where they’ll come up against the first-round winners. It’s then a case of straight knockout through to the final which is scheduled for 7pm. The women’s tournament features six teams who will compete for the Mike Bleasdale Cup. Defending champions the Lionesses will kick things off against Shogun Rugby just after 3:30pm, with the winner going through to play Hammerhead 7s in the first semi-final. The Eric Liddell 100 team will challenge the winner of Tuks Rugby versus Hearts + Balls in the other semi. The women’s final is scheduled for just after 6:30pm.

The Greenyards, home of the world famous Melrose Sevens. (Photo by Paul Devlin / SNS Group)

Melrose Sevens broadcast details

BBC Scotland is returning to cover the tournament for the first time since the Covid pandemic but the matches will be shown on the iPlayer and online rather than on one of the main television channels, as used to be the case. The Melrose Sevens will be broadcast on the BBC iPlayer and the BBC Sport website and app starting from the quarter-final stage at 4pm, through to both the men’s and women’s finals, with the coverage due to finish by 7.30pm. The full day of action will also be broadcast on the Melrose Sevens YouTube channel from 10.50am.

Melrose Sevens draw

Men’s first round: Hawick v Currie (11.04am), Gala v Peebles (11.21am), Jed-Forest v Kelso (11.38am), Watsonians v Boroughmuir (11.55am), Shogun Rugby v Heriot’s (12.12pm), Selkirk v Edinburgh Accies (12.29pm), Stirling Co v British Army (12.46pm), Glasgow Accies v Monaco Impis (1.03pm). Second round from 1.20pm.

Women’s first round: The Lionesses v Shogun Rugby (3.36pm), Tuks v Hearts + Balls (3.53pm). Semi-finals from 5.22pm.