Borders rugby stars of yesteryear forming auld alliance to compete at Earlston Sevens

They’re part of a ten-strong squad of former Scottish sevens internationals, billed as Auld Stars, going up against the hosts in the tournament’s opening round of 16.

Lining up alongside Melrose’s Wight and Robertson and Selkirk’s Jones will be ex-Border Reivers and Edinburgh flanker Roddy Grant, former Southern Knights and Edinburgh Academical winger Nyle Godsmark, erstwhile Edinburgh full-back and centre Tom Brown and James Johnstone, one-time Perthshire winger James Fleming, Fiji-born back-rower Joe Nayacavou and past Scotland A international and Melrose fly-half Alex Blair.

Ex-Melrose and Border Reivers winger Robertson being 39, former Melrose and Glasgow Warriors fly-half Wight and Nayacavou being 38, Botswana-born Grant 37, Fleming 36, past Selkirk and Warriors winger Jones 35, Brown and Johnstone 34, Blair 33 and Godsmark 32, time arguably might not be on the side of the squad’s senior members – but experience is, so they’ll be hoping quick thinking offsets any lack of fleetness of foot.

It’ll be their first time they’ve played together in any combination in years so they’re not sure if it’ll turn out to be an ill-advised one-off or the start of a comeback, according to current Southern Knights attack coach Wight, last seen in on-field action helping the Scots’ short-sided team to a 12-7 victory over their hosts in the final of 2017’s London Sevens at the English capital’s Twickenham Stadium.

“Myself and Mark spoke about it when we caught up at Christmastime as he lives just down the road from me and we’re friends and we said ‘wouldn’t it be great to play again?’,” he recalled.

“It seemed like a great idea at the time but I’m not so sure, with it now being so close, that it is actually such a good thing.

“It’s amazing the amount of people that have been quite keen on doing it.

“We’re going along with what would have been a fairly competitive squad seven years ago but maybe not so much now.

“It’ll be really interesting and, if nothing else, it’ll be a great laugh catching up with people I haven’t seen in a long time.

“It’ll be seven years this month since I last played. I think it’ll be a case of if I we can keep going and our bodies feel fit enough.

“It’s a long time out of the game, to be honest.”

Wight explained that what he fears might now turn out to have been festive foolhardiness was brought back to mind by a request from officials at Earlston to be a guest speaker at their sevens, a task now falling instead to former Melrose and Gala flanker John Dalziel, alongside Scottish Rugby Union vice-president Keith Wallace.

“Earlston got on the phone wondering if I’d potentially do a bit of speaking in their hospitality marquee and I said ‘no, but here’s something else we could offer on the pitch if it ties in with what you’re doing’,” he said.

Sunday’s reunion will either see the old team-mates keen to go again or swearing never again, dependong on whatever aches and pains await them next Monday morning, reckons Wight.

“It’ll be interesting to see where it goes, if anywhere, because most of us would be classed as veterans and there are now a couple of events for over-35s overseas tagged on the back of the World Sevens tournaments, so that might be quite exciting,” he said.

“I don’t know where it’s going to go but it’s great to be able to offer boys that camaraderie again and that feeling of being on the pitch again, as well as catching up with each other.

“That’s one great thing that rugby does – it makes the world smaller – and it’s great to give something like this back to Earlston as it’s always been a tournament I’m fond of after going up there with Melrose. It was like our second home.

“It’s brilliant to be giving something back to such a small community by getting these guys back together.”

Wight’s son Rory is billed, in jest, as Auld Stars’ head coach, with, in earnest, Kev Brown as their team manager and Ryan Crockatt as physio.

Wight’s golden oldies’ round-of-16 tie against Earlston, at 2pm, is the fourth of the day, an hour after proceedings kick off with Gala, second to Kelso on the Kings of the 7s leaderboard ahead of round seven at the latter’s Poynder Park home ground on Saturday, taking on Boroughmuir.

That opening tie is followed by a Borders derby between Selkirk and Jed-Forest at 1.20pm and Berwick playing Edinburgh Academical at 1.40pm.

Games between a George Crawford Legacy Trust side, the GAC 7s, and Heriot’s at 2.20pm, Kelso and Edinburgh University at 2.40pm, Durham Uni and Peebles at 3pm and Melrose and Watsonians at 3.30pm follow the hosts’ tie against their all-star guests.

Entry is £12 for adults. For further details, go to the Scottish East Region League Division 3 club’s Facebook page, https://www.facebook.com/earlstonsevens

See also …

https://www.thesouthernreporter.co.uk/sport/rugby-union/in-photos-gala-one-win-off-kings-of-7s-top-spot-after-first-victory-this-century-at-langholm-4610295

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