Youth Cup Finals take centre stage on Sunday
On Sunday, 16 teams competing in eight finals will take over the Murrayfield campus, as the National Youth Cup Finals are in town.
For all team sheets (accurate as at 5pm Friday), please head here.
U16 Girls Cup: 11am KO, Scottish Gas Murrayfield
Biggar v Cambuslang (broadcast live on YT)
Both teams come into this final as high scorers, with Biggar winning last weekend’s semi-final against Stirling County 38-26 and Cambuslang overcoming Dundee 54-24.
Biggar have put forward two strong teams into the under-16s and under-18s competitions, and both will feature in Sunday’s Cup matches.
Meanwhile, free-scoring Cambuslang put 55 points on Dundee, 50 on Biggar Reds, and a further 50 on Falkirk en route to the final. Watch for a high-scoring affair!
U16 Girls Shield: 11am KO, Back Pitch 1
Stirling County v Dundee
Stirling and Dundee just missed out on the Cup final this year after strong runs leading them up to the Cup semi-finals.
Stirling notched victories over Annan (61-17) and Dumfries (50-0), and lost to eventual finalists Cambuslang (29-10).
Dundee lost in November to Cambuslang too (55-5), snuck past Annan (31-26), but lost to both finalists – 47-19 to Biggar and 54-24 to Cambuslang.
U18 Boys Shield: 11am KO, Hive
Peebles v West of Scotland
Peebles began their campaign back in the first week of September with a 39-17 loss to Ayr/Wellington, but bounced back strongly in a 50-19 demolition of Aberdeen Wanderers.
Then in November, Peebles won the quarterfinal 43-19 against Strathmore, and the semi-final by 53 points against Mackie. West of Scotland started with a bang against Highland Eagles, beating them 55-5 in September.
They kicked on but fell just short against Hawick Youth 31-29 in October. The quarterfinal matchup against Earlston HS/Melrose Wasps saw a 29-point win, and the semi-final was a convincing 57-7 win over Jed-Thistle.
U16 Boys Cup: 1pm KO, Hive
Currie Chieftains v Boroughmuir (broadcast live on YT)
Four wins from as many matches leads Currie and Boroughmuir to this U16 Boys Cup final. Currie’s journey saw a 52-14 win over Peebles, a 45-19 victory over Deeside, a closer 28-15 scoreline against West of Scotland, and a 19-point victory over Hawick Youth in the semi-final.
Boroughmuir recorded a huge 50-0 win over Biggar, and an equally impressive 45-3 demolition of Kelso. The quarterfinal was much closer, with a 28-23 win over Ayr/Wellington. Normal service was resumed in the semi-final – a 28-10 win over Cambuslang to secure their spot in the Cup final.
U16 Boys Shield: 3:30pm, Back Pitch 1
Peebles v Stirling County
Two close semi-finals have landed Stirling County and Peebles together. GHA gave Peebles an almighty scare, coming within six points of their own final, while Stirling did a better job to deal with Biggar 26-5.
Peebles lost in round one to Currie 52-14 before a clutch 29-26 win against Deeside, setting up a Shield quarterfinal match against Falkirk, who were brushed aside 36-14.
Stirling started strong, with a 50-0 win over Dundee, before a close loss to Cambuslang landed them in the Shield quarterfinal against Dunfermline, who Stirling defeated 36-26.
U18 Girls Cup: 3:30pm, Scottish Gas Murrayfield
Biggar RFC v Stirling County (broadcast live on YT)
Biggar goes into Sunday’s match having scored 114 points in their last two matches and conceding just 48. Equally impressively, Stirling has scored 104 in their past two matches while conceding just 10.
This will be a battle of the two most deserving finalists under the lights at Scottish Gas Murrayfield.
U18 Girls Shield: 3:30pm, Hive
Dumfries Saints v Cambuslang RFC
These two sides met in early November, where Dumfries secured a 42-0 victory. Dumfries went on to lose by 14 points against Biggar, before nabbing a 16-point win over Caithness. They were eventually knocked out of the Cup competition when, in the semi-final, Stirling beat the Saints 54-10.
After their defeat to Dumfries, Cambuslang lost to Biggar and Stirling but secured a win against Caithness due to insufficient players for the match.
U18 Boys Cup: 5:30pm, Scottish Gas Murrayfield
Currie Chieftains v Stirling County RFC (broadcast live on YT)
Two close fought semi-finals landed Currie and Stirling County in the U18 Boys Cup final. Currie overcame Kelso by two tries and Hawick were put away by Stirling by just nine points on 30 November.
Currie’s free-flowing game saw a 50-point win over Ellon, a default win over Greenock Wanderers and a 29-point win in the quarterfinals against Dumfries.
Stirling secured a 50-0 win of their own against Falkirk, before beating Jed-Thistle 61-14 and sneaking past Boroughmuir by a single point in the Cup quarterfinals in early November.
An enthralling encounter awaits in this one.