Introduction Well, what a year it has been! Going back 12 months, our 1st XV had survived relegation on the last day of the season, and we had received notification that we had been awarded a SUPER 6 franchise. We anticipated transition in the senior squad as we built towards SUPER 6, and we had a new coaching team in place across the senior squads. The structure to our Youth Academy was bedding in. We were excited for the season ahead and knew there was plenty of work to do. Well, we weren’t wrong…. On the field, our senior squads performed creditably, and it was a welcome change for the 1st XV not to be involved in a relegation fight. Whilst we stood toe-toe with the top 4, we couldn’t eek out the results we were looking for, and despite some excellent performances, we settled in mid table. We did have the honour of the league’s top try scorer in Johnny Matthews with 19 tries, and Jordan Edmunds not far behind. Our 2nd and 3rd XVs also battled for consistency, albeit with a peppering of excellent results. It is worth reminding everyone that we are the only club in Scotland to field three senior teams in national competitions which is a credit to everyone involved. Off the field, rugby politics has been dominated by SUPER 6, SRU AGM motions, consultations, more motions, and amendments. It is clear that many see SUPER6 as a threat, and it will take some time for club rugby to re-equilibrate. In January, we appointed Graham Shiel as Head Coach, and he is building strong support and playing squads for the season ahead. There is a lot still to do before SUPER6 kicks off in November, and we’ll be updating more in due course. Our Youth Academy has really bedded in this year, with our structures and plans well under way, We still have plenty to do, but the work undertaken cannot be underestimated, and our Academy is rapidly becoming the envy of clubs across the country. We are looking to balance inclusivity with developing talent, and we feel very positive about the future. Of course, on-field success helps – our U13 to U18 won the National Shogun Conference, and our U18s won the Scottish Cup in dramatic fashion against Ayr with a last second penalty. We had our third Italian Job event in February, and what a success it was! In conjunction with the Bill McLaren Foundation, we hosted a long lunch at Murrayfield for 500 guests, and together we raised £50,000. Special thanks to the organising group led by Derek Binnie, who more than ever, ensured the event was the success it was. We’ve started planning for our centenary season from last summer, though it is fair to say that pace has really picked up over the past few months. Thanks to Charlie Martin and a squad of volunteers who are working on a fantastic programme for the year ahead. Expect plenty of opportunity to get involved as we look back over the last 100 years, and look forward to the next 100. Finally, I’d like to thank all Board members, volunteers, supporters, parents, coaches and players for helping to keep the Boroughmuir family what it is, and I look forward to our centenary season ahead. Ally Hay Chairperson Senior Rugby Team Performances We are proud to say that Boroughmuir continue to be the only club in Scotland to have three senior teams playing at National level. These teams are drawn from our 122 registered senior players, but we continue to be on the lookout for more. Our 1st XV finished 7th in the Tennent’s Premiership with 44 points and 8 wins. 18/19 was an improved season that included fantastic wins against Currie and Melrose and showed great potential, however our Heriots capitulation at home was a low point. Injuries in key positions and issues around availability of our attack coach for the season (Graham Shiel) impacted our performance. 1st XV Player of the Year: Johnny Matthews Our 2nd XV consolidated their position in the National Reserve League 1, finishing 7th in the National Reserve League 1 with 50 points and 7 wins 2nd XV Player of the Year: Callum McDevitt Our Third XV finished 6th in the National reserve league 2 with 49 points and 8 wins. They remain the highest ranked 3rd XV in the country, playing in National Reserve League 2 and finishing 6th. That makes them the 16th best 2nd XV in the country. 3rd XV Player of the Year: Roman Goulard. Players Player of the year: Johnny Matthews Young Player of the year: Will Inglis Try of the Season: Kerr Gossman against Heriot's Supporters Player of the Year: Malcom Jack Notable player stats The First XV played 41 different players throughout the season, with Johnny Matthews ending as the top points scorer for the club with 95 points and Gavin Parker second place on 88 points. Furthermore, Johnny Matthews ended the season as the top try scorer in the league with 19 tries, equalling the club record held by Calvin Howarth (but Johnny points out that he scored his tries in one less game than Calvin, and did it in the league above!). Also, a special mention to Craig Gossman who made the Scotland club international team. Top 3 career appearances for the 1st XV this season: 1. Jordan Edmunds - 115 appearances in total - 19 this season 2. Mark Hare - 101 appearances in total - 3 this season 3. Craig Keddie - 89 appearances in total - 16 this season First XV 18/19 results 1 September 2018 Currie Chieftains 32 19 BOROUGHMUIR 8 September 2018 BOROUGHMUIR 63 7 Hawick RFC 15 September 2018 Glasgow Hawks RFC 21 26 BOROUGHMUIR 22 September 2018 BOROUGHMUIR 14 23 Watsonian FC 29 September 2018 Edinburgh Academical FC 13 15 BOROUGHMUIR 6 October 2018 BOROUGHMUIR 17 36 Ayr RFC 13 October 2018 Stirling County RFC 28 27 BOROUGHMUIR 20 October 2018 BOROUGHMUIR 24 31 Heriot’s 27 October 2018 Melrose RFC 47 29 BOROUGHMUIR 3 November 2018 BOROUGHMUIR 41 17 Currie Chieftains 17 November 2018 Hawick RFC 12 26 BOROUGHMUIR 1 December 2018 BOROUGHMUIR 29 12 Glasgow Hawks RFC 8 December 2018 Watsonian FC 13 5 BOROUGHMUIR 5 January 2019 BOROUGHMUIR 73 10 Edinburgh Academical FC 12 January 2019 Ayr RFC 14 7 BOROUGHMUIR 19 January 2019 BOROUGHMUIR 28 46 Stirling County RFC 26 January 2019 Heriot’s 35 14 BOROUGHMUIR 2 March 2019 BOROUGHMUIR 14 12 Melrose RFC Sevens We had a fabulous sevens season winning Hawick, Selkirk, Haddington, Edinburgh Northern and Leith; winning 36 ties and only losing 7 (as at 11th May). This resulted in a second place finish in the King of the 7s tournament. A positive impact to Sevens was made by our U18 players. Not being threatened by relegation at the end of our XV-a-side season gave us time to prepare. Hopefully this will prove to be a good springboard for Super 6. 6 April 2019 Gala 7s Semi Finals 6 April 2019 Haddington 7s Winners 13 April 2019 Melrose 7s Last 16 20 April 2019 Edinburgh Northern 7s Winners 20 April 2019 Hawick 7s Winners 21 April 2019 Berwick Runners up 27 April 2019 Langholm 7s Semi Finals 27 April 2019 Leith Accies 7s Winners 4 May 2019 Kelso 7s Runners up 5 May 2019 Earlston 7s Semi Final 11 May 2019 Perth 7s Quarter finals 11 May 2019 Selkirk 7s Winners 18 May 2019 Jedforest 7s Semi Final Peter Wright Peter has been Head Coach at Muir for 3 seasons, bringing with him undoubted passion and a tremendous, knowledge of the game. In that period, Muir has been recognised as one of the most attractive teams to watch in club rugby, and an unrivalled team spirit has evolved as we prepare for SUPER6. We thank Peter sincerely for his contribution to the club. Peter will always be a well loved face at Meggetland, and we look forward to hearing stories of his GHK adventures. Of his departure Peter said ‘being part of the Muir family and it’s journey to the club it is today has been fantastic. I certainly won’t be a stranger to the club and wish it all the best for the SUPER 6 and the exciting times ahead’. Everyone at Boroughmuir would like to wish Peter well in the next stage of his coaching career as Head Coach at GHK. Youth Academy On field and in competition we have had our most successful season in recent memory. We were overall winners of the Mitsubishi Shogun Conference League and our U18 team were winners of the National Youth League Cup. Mitsubishi Shogun Conference The U13 to U18 teams play in the Shogun Conference, the top Club Midi Rugby Competition run by Scottish Rugby. Seven teams took part in the Conference in 2018/19 (Ayr, Biggar, Boroughmuir, Highland, Hamilton, Stirling County, and West of Scotland). Games are played home and away. Of the 60 Shogun Conference games, the Academy results were: 50 wins; 0 draws; 10 losses; 83% success rate for matches played; U15 squad went unbeaten; U14s and U18s were unbeaten at home. It is important to recognise just how high we set the bar for youth rugby this season, winning the conference by a 20 point margin is unprecedented and is something to be celebrated. Academy growth Putting results to one side, our main objective is to have as many young people as possible playing rugby every week, and we are pleased to say that the number of young people playing rugby in the Academy continues to grow, with the following numbers in each age group: Age group Players P1/2 41 P3 19 P4 31 P5 27 P6 29 P7 19 U13 29 U14 41 U15 31 U16 28 U18 36 Total 331 Notable player stats We have had a few players playing regional rugby this season: Edinburgh U20 Gavin Inkster Edinburgh U18 Grant Stevenson, Ethan McVicker Edinburgh U17 Callum MacGregor, Jeke Canakaivata Edinburgh U16 Reuben Maloney East Lothian U17 Charlie Farmer, Matt Crawford East Lothian U15 Ramsay Allan We also had 7 players in a Club Select XV playing against Scotland U18’s - Calum Anderson, Paul Bogie, Finlay Devine, Derry McConnell, Ben MacKintosh, Ethan McVicker, and Grant Stevenson.