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

EDINBURGH , SCOTLAND - AUGUST 16: Ayr’s Blair MacPherson and Currie Chieftains’ Charlie Brett during the launch of the 2024/2025 Arnold Clark Premership season at Currie Chieftains RFC, on August 16, 2024, in Edinburgh, Scotland. (Photo by Ross MacDonald / SNS Group)

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.

This weekend’s matches:

Arnold Clark Men’s Premiership

Saturday, 31 August:

• Edinburgh Academical FC v Hawick RFC, 3pm
• Glasgow Hawks RFC v Musselburgh RFC, 3pm KO
• Kelso RFC v Watsonian FC, 3pm KO
• Marr RFC v Selkirk RFC, 3pm KO
• Melrose Rugby v Heriot’s, 3pm KO
• Ayr RFC v Currie Chieftains, 4:10pm KO – live coverage on BBC ALBA

Arnold Clark Women’s Premiership

Saturday, 31 August:

• Stirling County RFC v Watsonian FC, 1pm KO
• Cartha Queens Park RFC v Corstorphine RFC, 2pm KO
• Stewartry RFC v Garioch RFC, 2pm KO

Sunday, 1 September:

• Heriot’s v Hillhead Jordanhill, 4.10pm kick off – live coverage on BBC ALBA