How the little town of Hawick remains a vital contributor to Scottish rugby 

Like almost everywhere else in the world, player numbers in Hawick have plummeted during the last quarter of a century

Scotland's full-back Stuart Hogg is one of the Hawick natives who will line up to face Ireland in the Aviva Stadium on Saturday.

When Scotland played Wales at Cardiff Arms Park during the 1978 Five Nations, the starting XV contained six individuals – Jim Renwick, Alastair Cranston, Colin Deans, Norman Pender, Alan Tomes and Brian Hegarty – who all played their club rugby for Hawick. 

Then, early in the match, winger David Shedden picked up an injury and had to be replaced by Graham Hogg, who was also from the Borders town but was now attached to Boroughmuir having moved to Edinburgh after leaving school.