From nearly 50 entries this season, through regional festivals, the Super 16s and then quarter-finals, the last four teams played out the semi-finals at Welford Road on Saturday as a curtain-raiser to Tigers’ Aviva Premiership win over London Welsh.
Supported by Loughborough-based Prima Solutions, the Prima Tiger Cup is now in its 19th season and continues to attract teams from across the region.
For players who started the season as nine-year-olds, the standard of skill, commitment and teamwork was excellent and all four teams received strong support from the touchlines and returned to the field for a half-time parade and team photo with Tigers star Vereniki Goneva.
There was just one try in the first semi-final as Wymondham edged past Nottingham side Paviors.
Kenilworth faced Loughborough in the second semi-final, with the Warwickshire team coming through by two tries to nil.
Wymondham and Kenilworth will return to Welford Road for the final before Tigers take on Saracens in the Aviva Premiership on the evening of February 23.
Leicester Tigers player Wessel Jooste was on the touchlines watching the semi-final action and said: “It’s unbelieveable. When I was very young I had the chance to play at Newlands in Cape Town and that still stays incredibly special to me and I assume that for these young Leicester Tigers fans, Welford Road is just like that.
“Some of these guys will hopefully go on to be playing here as adults and they can look back on this and see it as a dream come true.”