diff --git a/src/regex.hh b/src/regex.hh
index 7fda8f0b1..01d6bc79d 100644
--- a/src/regex.hh
+++ b/src/regex.hh
@@ -136,6 +136,13 @@ bool regex_search(It begin, It end, MatchResults<It>& res, const Regex& re,
     return regex_search<It, direction>(begin, end, res.values(), *re.impl(), flags);
 }
 
+template<typename It>
+bool backward_regex_search(It begin, It end, MatchResults<It>& res, const Regex& re,
+                  RegexExecFlags flags = RegexExecFlags::None)
+{
+    return regex_search<It, MatchDirection::Backward>(std::move(begin), std::move(end), res, re, flags);
+}
+
 String option_to_string(const Regex& re);
 void option_from_string(StringView str, Regex& re);
 
@@ -204,8 +211,8 @@ private:
         }
         else
         {
-            if (not regex_search<Iterator, MatchDirection::Backward>(m_begin, m_next_pos, m_results, *m_regex,
-                                                                     m_flags | additional_flags))
+            if (not backward_regex_search(m_begin, m_next_pos, m_results, *m_regex,
+                                          m_flags | additional_flags))
                 m_regex = nullptr;
             else
                 m_next_pos = m_results[0].first;
diff --git a/src/selectors.cc b/src/selectors.cc
index 6074e38cd..63f874da7 100644
--- a/src/selectors.cc
+++ b/src/selectors.cc
@@ -862,14 +862,14 @@ static bool find_prev(const Buffer& buffer, const BufferIterator& pos,
                       const Regex& ex, bool& wrapped)
 {
     if (pos != buffer.begin() and
-        regex_search<BufferIterator, MatchDirection::Backward>(
-            buffer.begin(), pos, matches, ex,
-            match_flags(buffer, buffer.begin(), pos) | RegexExecFlags::NotInitialNull))
+        backward_regex_search(buffer.begin(), pos, matches, ex,
+                              match_flags(buffer, buffer.begin(), pos) |
+                              RegexExecFlags::NotInitialNull))
         return true;
     wrapped = true;
-    return regex_search<BufferIterator, MatchDirection::Backward>(
-        buffer.begin(), buffer.end(), matches, ex,
-        match_flags(buffer, buffer.begin(), buffer.end()) | RegexExecFlags::NotInitialNull);
+    return backward_regex_search(buffer.begin(), buffer.end(), matches, ex,
+                                 match_flags(buffer, buffer.begin(), buffer.end()) |
+                                 RegexExecFlags::NotInitialNull);
 }
 
 template<MatchDirection direction>