IT is one of Scottish sport's indelible images for those who were present: the sight of what seemed like the entire population of Hawick cheering, clapping and cajoling their rugby brethren with evangelical fervour as the "Green Machine" surged to an against-the-odds triumph at Murrayfield in the first Scottish Cup final in 1996.

By the climax, when the Borderers rallied from a 15-0 deficit to seize the spoils against pre-match favourites Watsonians, there were more than 22,000 packed inside the stadium.

Nearly 20 years on from that raucous afternoon, the Mansfield Park brigade are involved in Saturday's climax once more - this time, against Boroughmuir - and the fervour which has been spreading throughout the community in the last few days makes a nonsense of those who suggest the club circuit is withering on the vine. Granted, Hawick might not be the force they once were while churning out a veritable conveyor belt on Test luminaries and demolishing opponents en route to one national championship after another, but passion still reigns in the realm of Jim Renwick and the domain of Colin Deans.

As their president Rory Bannerman told me yesterday: "The town is really gearing up with good wishes coming thick and fast from previous winners, from old lads who never had a cup to aim for, and from all points of the globe. I think we will uproot the bust of Bill McLaren and bring it up for Murrayfield to join the one which is there just for the day. The buses are filling up, loads of kids are making the journey, the Saxhorn Band are being given a bus, so they can play for us in the stand, and there is going to be a Hawick concert in a suite at the stadium.

"When you walk along the High Street, you can see flags, rosettes, rugby jerseys, hats, and we have held a best-dressed window competition, which has just been won by one of the hairdressers. It is all reaching fever pitch at exactly the right time."

The identity of the finalists might be a surprise, considering how Heriot's, Ayr and Melrose have dominated the BT Premiership, but anybody with even a cursory knowledge of Hawick will appreciate that rugby remains a matter of vital importance for these redoubtable citizens. Their coach, Nikki Walker, has plenty of experience of performing at Murrayfield and, as somebody who gained 24 Scotland caps on the wing during his peripatetic career, he is savouring the opportunity to claim his second trophy in his first season in charge. The Border League is already in the bag, and after a rather fraught opening half to their league campaign, the Teris found the consistency, composure and confidence which had previously been lacking.

"The final is the only thing people are talking about down here, and anybody who doesn't think the sport is as big as it used to be should pay us a visit and discover the excitement there is, not only within the club, but the whole community," said Walker, who was part of the Border collective, who collected the league and cup double in 2001-02 as the prelude to his successful professional career in his homeland, Wales (The Ospreys) and England (Worcester).

"It has been a pleasure to be involved in coaching and there is something inspirational about watching a group of lads grow up in front of you on the pitch. We suffered a few problems before Christmas, but they kept improving, they started recording better and better results and, in the end, it has been a very positive campaign. We only just missed out on the play-offs, and reaching the cup final is another sign of how we are getting better, especially given the fact we beat Heriot's in the semis. At the start, it was all about consolidation and laying down the foundations, but our ambition is to be up there with Melrose and Gala and although that won't happen overnight, the boys have definitely shown their mettle and their commitment."

It promises to be a hectic weekend at Murrayfield, with Edinburgh in European action on Friday evening, prior to the clubs' extravaganza, but Walker is focused on one match alone. He recognises that several of his personnel would never have envisaged performing at the national stadium even a few months ago, but he is optimistic they will be up for the challenge. After all, rugby and Hawick go together like Bill McLaren and a microphone.

"Until now, we've tried to keep everything pretty low-key, but you can tell the lads are thrilled about this game and I'll be urging them to go out and express themselves and do Hawick proud, because these kinds of occasion don't come along too often," said Walker. "Boroughmuir have got some quality players and they have an excellent record in the Scottish Cup as well, so we are not expecting this to be anything other than a very tough contest. We're being realistic and we know there won't be 20,000 people there on Saturday, but there will still be thousands of supporters and I have no doubt this game will really enthuse the youngsters, on and off the pitch.

"We're in a really good place, with six Scotland Under-18 players in our ranks and these players are determined to make their mark. I am proud of what they have achieved. They won't need much motivation to go one step further."

The grassroots circuit is often patronised or downright disparaged. But nobody should dare do it while there's a Hawick patron in the vicinity.