Change of format unveiled for rugby’s 2023 Melrose Sevens

The latest in a succession of rejigs will see 2023’s Melrose Sevens feature a new pre-qualification tournament and an under-18s competition, both intended to encourage greater participation by other clubs in the region.

Next year’s event will be held on Saturday, April 8, mostly at the Greenyards in Melrose.

It will be preceded the day before by the youngsters’ contest, to be held at Hawick, and pre-qualification tournament for 16 teams from across Scotland and northern England to vie to book places at 2024’s sevens.

Tournament director Phil Morris said: “We are delighted to announce exciting plans for next year’s Melrose Sevens. It will be the 140th year of the event and held once again on the second Saturday in April.

“Our plans will continue to build on our role as custodians of the game of rugby sevens.”

Morris added: “We are grateful to our friends at Hawick Rugby Club for allowing us to hold a Borders under-18 tournament on Friday, April 7, for local youth teams to be part of the Melrose Sevens experience.

“This will take place instead of the usual event in Hawick, which meant many of these players missed the Melrose Sevens entirely.

“This is great news for rugby in this region, giving both clubs and youth teams in here the opportunity to play rugby sevens at the famous Greenyards, the home of rugby sevens.

“We have already spoken to a number of clubs in the surrounding area who have never been invited to the Melrose Sevens and they are keen to be involved in the Friday knockout tournament, with the final on the Saturday evening. The winners will then automatically qualify for 2024 Melrose Sevens. We will be sending out formal invitations shortly and announcing the participating teams.

“The traditional 1883 Centenary Cup Melrose Sevens tournament will be held on April 8, with 24 participating men’s teams competing, along with a four-team women’s tournament competing for a newly-created cup.”

Tickets for 2023’s Melrose Sevens will be priced at £35 for adults and £15 for under-18s, with children under five getting in free of charge. They’ll go on sale in mid-October. For details, go to https://melrose7s.co.uk/

Melrose Sevens was expanded to a four-day weekend of rugby and entertainment this 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 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.

Next April’s Melrose Sevens will 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 and Peebles on 13.