These games will no doubt feel that bit more special for the players and supporters after covid-19 put a stop to last season’s competition.

Heralding the return of the National Youth Finals event, Scottish Rugby President, Ian Barr said: “The opportunity to play rugby on these marquee pitches
offers players a platform to experience something that
few get to do and is bound to inspire these young
squads to get the most out of the occasion.

“Being able to host Youth Finals Day after the difficulties
of Covid-19 is both exciting and encouraging as some
of the future of Scottish rugby talent takes the early
steps of a rugby journey against the backdrop of proud
friends and family.”

Here, we preview the two showpiece finales – the Girls U18 Cup and the Boys U18 Cup.

Girls U18 Cup | Edinburgh Harlequins v Stirling County

Edinburgh Harlequins and Stirling County will face-off at BT Murrayfield for this year’s U18 Cup.

Stirling County reached the final after beating Caithness 0-50 earlier this month, whilst the Harlequin’s winning performance at Inch Park against Dundee, sealed their fate in the Cup final.

Alex Stewart, captain of Edinburgh Harlequins is looking forward to the challenge ahead, saying: “We’ve been lucky enough to play in a couple of Youth Finals events before, but this is a first we have played in the national stadium, so it’s a really exciting opportunity.

“Stirling County are a very strong team who play their style of rugby very well, so to play against opposition like that will make the final an even better experience. I’m confident that the girls will give everything on the day and the hard work throughout the season will pay off on Sunday.”

Stirling County are equally as excited for the occasion.

County Captain, Hannah Walker said: “We are very excited to finish the season on the ultimate high, playing at BT Murrayfield. It would be one of the greatest feelings to be able to lift the U18 trophy, but no matter the outcome it will be a special day for us all.”

​Boys U18 Cup | Boroughmuir v West of Scotland FC

Closing the day, Boroughmuir will take on West of Scotland at BT Murrayfield in the Boys U18 Cup Final.

Boroughmuir fought off competition from Stirling County in the semi-final with a 38-0 win as they look to retain the U18 Cup title following their win in the 2019/20 season, when this competition was last played.

Liam Habib, captain of the Boroughmuir side said: “The team has been working really hard in preparation for Sunday’s game over the last few weeks since the semi-final win. We have had a great season so far and reaching the final again is a great achievement for the team. Obviously it was disappointing that last season was cancelled because of covid, so we were determined to get to the final this year.

“We are expecting a tough game against West who have also had a very good season so far and it promises to be a great occasion. I am very proud to have Captained this team in such a successful season, and to represent Boroughmuir.”

West of Scotland edged their way into this weekend’s finals following a 17-all draw in the semi-final against Hawick. However, because Hawick had been shown a yellow card during that fixture, the competition rules allowed West to progress and compete for the title.

West of Scotland captain, Kerr Yule said, “The team is very proud to be given the honour of playing at the national stadium. This is a culmination of all our hard work and quality coaching we’ve received throughout the season.

“It’s already a privilege to be in the final at such a venue and raising the trophy would be the pinnacle of a fantastic season for the team.”

National Youth Cup Finals schedule and line-up

Girls U16 Cup | Stirling County v East Lothian Girls
Kick-off: 10.45am at BT Murrayfield

Girls U16 Shield | Tayside Girls v Caithness RFC
Kick-off: 11.00am at DAM Health Stadium

Boys U16 Cup | Stirling County v GHA RFC
Kick-off: 12.45pm at BT Murrayfield

Boys U16 Shield | Kelso RFC v Hawick Youth Rugby Club
Kick-off: 1.00pm at DAM Health Stadium

Girls U18 Cup | Edinburgh Harlequins v Stirling County
Kick-off: 2.45pm at BT Murrayfield

Girls U18 Shield | Dundee Rugby v Caithness RFC
Kick-off: 3.15pm at DAM Health Stadium

Boys U18 Shield | Earlston High School/Melrose Wasps v Gala Wanderers
Kick-off: 5.00pm at DAM Health Stadium

Boys U18 Cup | Boroughmuir v West of Scotland FC
Kick-off: 6.30pm at BT Murrayfield

View the digital match day programme, HERE.

Register to attend the event, HERE.

U16 Girls Bowl

In addition to these eight final fixtures, a Girls U16 Bowl competition will also take place at Forrester Rugby Club on Saturday 26 March from 10am.

This competition has been specifically created to provide young female players the chance to join forces to create teams and provide new players with additional game time in a meaningful, development format.

A match-day report and gallery will be available on Sunday.

U16 Girls Bowl Final | Annan RFC v Edinburgh Harlequins
Third & Fourth place playoff | Highland RFC v Oban Lorne RFC