Ahead of the Under 18 Daily Mail Cup Semi Finals on Saturday, we are having a look at each of the four semi finalists before the big day, first is Hampton School who were the first side to qualify after a magnificent 20-3 quarter final win away at Truro School.

Head Coach – Zoran Higgins

Captain – Alex Lundberg (Prop)

Star Man – Akira Takenaka (Scrum Half)

Results so far:

Quarter final – Hampton 20-3 Truro School

Last 16 – Hampton 12-10 Whitgift

Round 5 – Hampton 18-3 St Paul’s

Round 4 – Hampton 51-0 RGS Colchester

Round 3 – Hampton 53-0 Lord Wandsworth College

Round 2 – Hampton 59-0 Salesian School

Round 1 – Bye

2012 Daily Mail Cup Record – Last 16 lost 15-12 to Dulwich College

Best Daily Mail Achievement – Vase Finalists 2009, lost 23-15 to John Cleveland College

A word from the coach:

XV: What is your view on the Daily Mail Cup as a whole?

Zoran Higgins: “The Daily Mail Cup is a fantastic tournament, the boys love it, the parents love it, it’s a competitive challenge for the coaches and very well run.”

XV: How have preparations been going?

ZH: “Our preparation has gone well and the mood in the camp is very good. I’ve been able to select our best tactical side as all 22 are fit and well.”

XV: What have been your standout performances in the tournament so far?

ZH: “We’ve played in various different styles so far, we showed forward domination against St Paul’s where we kept it very tight and narrow in a fantastic performance. Against Whitgift and Truro we were far more expansive, the Whitgift game in particular was brilliant.”

XV: You lost to Dulwich earlier in the season (25-14), do you think that result will have any bearing on the game at the weekend or is it ancient history?

ZH: “Obviously it will be in the boys minds but it was a game played in miserable conditions that are just meat and drink to them with their forward power. We showed with our second half performance though, I think we won it 8-3, that we can definitely beat them and the boys are quietly confident. Practice has gone well and while we’ve looked at that game and what Dulwich can do, we’ve focused on ourselves.”

Hampton versus Dulwich will be the first of the two semi finals to be played at Broadstreet RFC on Saturday. They will kick off at 11am before Northampton School for Boys versus Warwick at 1pm.