This Tuesday at 3pm Haileybury and Stamford go head to head for the second time this season as they meet in the second round of the Continental Tyres Schools Cup LIVE on NextGenXV.
The Midlands B second round clash will see the winners progress to the regional final, one step away from the national stages of the competition, where they will travel to either 2013 finalists Northampton School for Boys, or 2015 and 2016 champions Bromsgrove.
The game will be available on the NextGenXV YouTube Channel and will also be available to view through the embedded link below.
It is the second meeting between the two sides this season, back on the 20th September they met at Saracens’ StoneX Stadium in an epic encounter that went right down to the wire. Stamford won that one, 24-19 (see below), but in being such a tight and exciting game, both give reason to expect a Cup classic on Tuesday afternoon.
Stamford’s route here was not easy, they faced an away trip to reigning champions Oakham. However they arrived with an unbeaten record and it showed as they put in an outstanding performance for a 23-10 victory sending them through here to face Haileybury, who had been outstanding in their Cup opener against Bedford (see below) with some truly wonderful tries for a 36-14 victory.
Stamford’s unbeaten start should come as no surprise, both their current Upper 6th and Lower 6th experienced unbeaten seasons as U16s and their L6th nearly experienced it as U15s too, a tight loss in the opening round of the Cup being the only blip, which they made up for by winning the Plate.
Haileybury’s players have experienced that same confidence though, their current Upper 6th had never experienced defeat before 6th form with unbeaten U16 and U14 seasons (their U15 season was lost to Covid). Their Lower 6th came within a whisker of an unbeaten U16 season as well but, here’s the crunch fact, Stamford were the only side to stop them with an impressive 45-5 victory at Haileybury.
It leaves this one feeling tantalising. Both are clearly excellent teams and capable of some wonderful moments, as indeed we saw on Saturday in Haileybury’s thrilling 40-32 victory over Oundle (see below). That victory at the StoneX and the memory of that victory at Haileybury for the L6th in the U16 year perhaps just swings the needle Stamford’s way but, on the other hand, Haileybury have the memory of a 30-24 victory at 1stXV level at Stamford last year and Stamford have not won at 1st XV level at Haileybury since 2012, and the home side will be desperate to turn around the StoneX result.
The game is one a knife-edge, and all roads point towards a Continental Tyres Schools Cup classic. It’s not to be missed!
Haileybury v Stamford – Continental Tyres Schools Cup Round 2, Tuesday, 3pm KO – LIVE on NextGenXV
