Allan Massie: Lionhearts of Selkirk prove to have an abundance of enthusiasm in reserve

FORTRESS Philiphaugh at last fell on Thursday evening, but it was a close-run thing, even if Edinburgh Accies deserved their victory, principally because they were much quicker and more efficient at clearing the ball after the breakdown.

Still, as we reflected afterwards, you would have got long odds in August if you had bet that Selkirk would be unbeaten at Philiphaugh until the last home match of the season. In the months since the team has given home supporters a lot of pleasure and many exciting games. Eventually ill-timed injuries and exhaustion have taken their toll.

There is still the Border League final to come, and the title to be retained. Winning the oldest championship in British rugby still matters a lot in the Borders, even though the rest of Scotland may be indifferent to it. In any case, though we have suffered some heavy defeats away from home, Selkirk's achievement this season has been remarkable. Enthusiasm has remained high and crowds far bigger than even the most successful city clubs can attract. Indeed there have been some away games when the travelling Selkirk fans outnumbered the home support. One reason is that the club is rooted in the community and has consistently fielded a XV almost entirely composed of home-grown players who have come through the local Youth Club. The second or 'A' XV has also had a good year, runners-up to Gala in their Borders championship and nothing indicates the strength of the devotion the club inspires than the fact that they are perhaps the only reserve team in the country to have a British Lion (John Rutherford – who else?) as one of their coaches.

Everyone recognises that a second season in the top division is likely to be even harder and more demanding than the first. Nevertheless optimism will remain high, and is bolstered by the reflection that half-a-dozen local teenagers have already been blooded in the first XV. One to watch is the young lock or flanker, Andrew Renwick, who farms up the Yarrow Valley and is the very model of the old-style raw-boned and abrasive Borders forward.There aren't enough of the type about these days, but he looks like the real thing.

The Lions squad will be announced early next week and every commentator has been amusing himself, and perhaps readers, by offering advice to Ian McGeechan & Co. I've refrained so far, partly because I think the Lions concept outdated. Of course speculation is fun and of course we will all enjoy the summer's rugby in South Africa. Of course it's also true that for players, Lions selection may be held to represent a summit of their career. Nevertheless I hold to the view that essentially the Lions belong to the old amateur days when tours lasted for three months. Now they are much shorter and it is correspondingly harder to mould a Test match-winning XV from players from four countries. Even though one may argue that there is less difference in the style of play of international sides than there used to be, nevertheless one may well think that this year's Ireland side would have as much chance of winning a series in South Africa as the Lions, and that the chances of Wales and England doing so would not be much less.The fact is that a good national side has a coherence that the Lions are unlikely to achieve. Even at their best the Lions have lost more series than they have won, and , though one trusts this will not be as disastrous an expedition as Clive Woodward's mismanaged one in New Zealand four years ago, only the most starry-eyed optimist would predict a Lions victory.

Enthusiasm is also muted, one has to confess, because once again the Scottish representation is likely to be small. We'll be lucky if as many as half-a-dozen Scots go on the tour. Euan Murray is a certainty, Ross Ford (despite a less than convincing Six Nations) a probable. Mike Blair comes into that category too. On his autumn form he would be the likely Test scrum-half, but he faded in the Spring, though he had good games in Paris and at Twickenham. Otherwise? Well, Nathan Hines may squeeze in as a reserve lock, and Thom Evans on the wing, though competition there is fierce. There's a case for Alastair Strokosch at blindside, and Chris Paterson may be picked for his goal-kicking and versatility and, most persuasively of all, because he would make an excellent tourist and captain of the midweek side.But that's about it, and it's disappointing.

So a 35-man squad might be: Backs: Lee Byrne, Delon Armitage, Chris Paterson, Shane Williams, Ugo Monye, Tommy Bowe, Thom Evans; Brian O'Driscoll, Gordon D'Arcy, Riki Flutey, Tom Shanklin; Ronan O'Gara, Stephen Jones, Mike Blair, Dwayne Peel, Mike Phillips. Forwards: Gethin Jenkins, Andrew Sheridan, Euan Murray, John Hayes, Phil Vickery, Jerry Flannery, Lee Mears, Ross Ford, Paul O'Connell, Donncha O'Callaghan, Alun Wyn-Jones, Nathan Hines, Martyn Williams, David Wallace, Tom Croft, Alastair Strokosch, Nick Easter, Jamie Heaslip.

But I wouldn't wager I have more than thirty of the right names. Brian O'Driscoll will surely be captain, leaving Paul O'Connell to lead and 'Munsterize' the forwards. It's a decent squad but far from being a great one. But then this wasn't an outstanding Six Nations. Ian McGeechan is picking from less strength than when he selected the side that narrowly won the last series in South Africa 12 years ago.