Double winners to begin title defence against Musselburgh

LEAGUE and Cup champions Marr will begin the defence of their men’s Premiership title with a home game against Musselburgh on 27 August. Currie Chieftains, runnersup last season, will also be at home, against Jed-Forest. In the other top-flight fixtures on the opening day, Hawick welcome Selkirk to Mansfield Park, Edinburgh Accies travel to GHA, and Glasgow Hawks are at home to Heriot’s.

Announcing the domestic fixtures yesterday, Scottish Rugby confirmed that the clubs in the top four places at the end of the regular Premiership season will go into the play-offs, with the leading two teams at home. The highest-placed winner from the two semi-finals will then have home advantage in the final itself.

The structure of the four main men’s leagues – Premiership, National 1, National 2 and National 3 – is reverting to what it was before the pandemic. There are ten teams in the Premiership and a dozen sides in each of the three National divisions.

The women’s Premiership, meanwhile, is being expanded from six to seven teams this season and will kick off a week before the men’s top flight, on 20 August. Watsonians, champions last season, visit Cartha Queen’s Park in their opening game. Hillhead-Jordanhill are at home to Stirling County, Garioch travel to Corstorphine Cougars, and Heriot’s Blues have a bye.

This will be the last season of a

National 1 in the women’s game. The winners of National 1 this time round will be promoted to what will become a Premiership of eight clubs, while the rest of National 1 will be moved into a new regional set-up.

Full fixtures for the coming season in youth and schools rugby as well as in the women’s and men’s game can be found on the Scottish Rugby website.