Watsonians

When Watsonians took the title again in 2018, it closed a gap stretching back to 1907 — the last time the club had lifted the trophy at the Greenyards, in the tournament's very early years, before either World War had been fought. That distance says something about a club built for the abbreviated game as much as the fifteen-man one.

The Edinburgh side traces its identity to Myreside, the ground that gave it the nickname "The Myresiders," and to maroon and white shirts settled on in 1876, a year after the first match was played.

Professional rugby brought one Premiership title, in 1997–98, and a Scottish Cup in 2005–06. Gavin Hastings captained the British & Irish Lions in 1993 having come through the club, and his brother Scott toured with him that year as well — a pair of Watsonians on the same Lions tour, a rarity for a club outside the professional ranks. Euan Kennedy is remembered locally for the tries he scored against England in the 1984 Grand Slam year, a result achieved while still turning out for Watsonians rather than a full-time academy setup.

West Edinburgh still settles its arguments on the pitch: fixtures against Boroughmuir and against Heriot's carry derby weight, and matches with Edinburgh Academical are treated the same way. Eleven Melrose Sevens titles sit on the shelf, spanning from 1905 to 2018.