Arnold Clark Premiership feature matches: Ayr v Currie, Heriot’s v Hillhead Jordanhill

A mouthwatering fixture awaits in the Arnold Clark Men’s Premiership season opener this weekend as Ayr RFC’s squad, bolstered by the return of FOSROC Super Series talent, hosts current champions, Currie Chieftains.

Ayr finished top of National League 1 in season 2023-24, with an astounding 72 points from 18 matches. Currie on the other hand won the Premiership the hard way – finishing third in the regular season, before defeating Marr in the semi-final, and Hawick in the final to lift the trophy.

Both the Ayr-Currie match and Heriot’s versus Hillhead Jordanhill in the Arnold Clark Women’s Premiership on Sunday will be televised free-to-air on BBC ALBA.

Heriot’s are coming off the back of a 79-0 defeat at the hands of champions Stirling County, while Hillhead secured a 74-7 bonus point win over Stewartry in round one.

Four things to watch out for this weekend:

Edinburgh Academical take on Hawick in their season opener – a repeat of the hard-fought Scottish Cup final in April, which Hawick ultimately won.
FOSROC Super Series players are returning from the end of that competition into Arnold Clark Men’s Premiership teams across the board, making for a more competitive league.
Stirling County v Watsonian in the Arnold Clark Women’s Premiership is a repeat of the December 2023 final, where Stirling fought back from 19-0 down to win the match 26-19.
Stewartry v Garioch is a replay of the bottom two in the Arnold Clark Women’s Premiership last season. They each won twice in the regular season, before Stewartry won the Regional Play-Off Series to remain in the Premiership.