Rugby: South Schools revived for unique clash on ‘The Close’

THE South Schools rugby squad is to be reformed for a unique match against the famous Rugby School in England.

Due to a new relationship between Hawick High School and Rugby School – the English school’s current headteacher, Patrick Derham, hails from the Borders town – the South will face Rugby School’s 1st XV on ‘The Close’, where William Webb Ellis famously ‘first picked up the ball and ran with it’.

Every season Rugby School invites a team to play on ‘The Close’ on top of their annual fixtures and the South will take up the challenge on 
28 September. To prepare for the match the South squad will play 
Dollar Academy on Tuesday, 
11 September.

The squad will be selected from the nine Borders secondary schools.

SQUAD: Forwards – Gavin Blair, Ross Graham, Finlay Simpson (all Hawick HS), Callum Crookshanks, Angus Runciman, Murray Kerr (all Earlston HS), Richard Harrison (Peebles HS), Cole Lothian, Ryan Gibson (both Jed GS), Gary Robertson (Galashiels Academy), Charlie Woodhouse (Eyemouth HS); Backs – Sam Bandeen (Hawick HS), Matt Douglas (Hawick HS/Gosforth Ac), Harry Cooper, Sam Cuthers (both Kelso HS), Scott Halliday, Jack Harrison, Cameron Pye (all Peebles HS), Ruairi Howarth (Galashiels Academy), Rory Marshall, Kyle Stillie (both Selkirk HS), Iain Sim (Berwickshire HS).