You can’t get to any other stage without going through sotapatti, -your ducks need to be lined up. ‘The Path is born’ phrase in the sutta above seems to indicate the point where Magga comes into being. This refers to sotapatti magga, and also where the Noble eightfold path (‘the stream, the stream…’) has been entered adequately enough to give rise to sotapatti magga. Removing of fetters start at this point, through to the higher attainments and to finally becoming an arahanth.
Also, who is Hugh? 
with metta