Claudius Butts, one of the four Guyanese who will make up the core of the West Indian attack in the International Rugby Board (IRB) World Sevens Series tournament in San Diego, USA from February 10, has said that the four Guyanese in the team will have to take on the brunt of the work in the competition but they are more than ready for the challenge.
Butts, speaking to Stabroek Sport via telephone before he left Guyana to join the team for one week of final training in Trinidad and Tobago said, “Basically, the four of us are the best in the Caribbean and we have our work cut out for us because we will have to do the majority of the work in San Diego.”
The slim, lanky Guyanese has proven that he is arguably the best winger in the region with excellent ground speed and tackling skills. He, along with Albert La Rose, Theodore Henry and Kevin McKenzie have emerged as the front line attack of the regional squad and will have to play at their highest capacity if the West Indies team is to make a better showing than last year.
Butts said that at the very least he wants to see the team place first or second in their group and qualify for the Cup round. But first they will have to face Argentina in their first match. Butts noted that the West Indies can do fairly well against that team which he said, has not been putting up great performances in recent matches.
Their next match in the first round would be against international power house Fiji. The Guyanese said, “It would be a hard task against Fiji and it would take truly a super human effort for us to beat them.” Butts is much more confident about the possibility of beating Scotland saying that this match-up is a likely upset victory in the making for the West Indies side.
All the Guyanese in this year’s team were part of last year’s Windies side but Butts feels that they are much better prepared this time around. He said, “Last year was the first time and we did not have a lot of experience going into international competitions but this year I am much more confident.”
The winger boasted that the fitness levels of the Guyanese in the side are the best in the team and they are prepared to make up with speed for their lack of size in comparison to the international players. He said, “We have our fitness going for us and we are confident that we will be able to represent ourselves well.”
The West Indies team will have one practice game against South Africa before the competition starts.
Butts said that he is particularly happy about his current fitness and skill level and feels that he has come a long way since he began playing the sport in 2001. The 23-year-old started playing rugby after receiving encouragement from his friend Henry, who had joined the team earlier that year. Butts was a natural fit for the sport, having come from a background of athletics and basketball. His natural speed and ability soon earned him call-ups to represent Guyana.
Since then he has represented Guyana at the under-19 and senior levels at the World Cup qualifiers, the Caribbean Southern Championships, the Caribbean Sevens Champion-ship and the Carib Inter-national Sevens tournament. Last year Guyana stamped its authority on the region when the local boys won the Caribbean Sevens tournament. Butts’ performance at that tournament was particularly outstanding.
He said, “Last year was a wonderful year for me and I am really happy about the way I am playing.” Butts has completely devoted his life to the sport and since July last year has been playing for a Trinidadian club team. He noted that the sport leaves little time for any other activity. He said that when he is in training he practices for no less than four hours a day and is competition no less than seven and a half months every year.
Butts agreed that players who dedicate their lives to the sport need more support. He also emphasized that more sponsorship is needed from the private sector for the sport. Butts said that he has never personally approached any organization to sponsor him but hinted that it would be good for the Guyana Football Rugby Union (GRFU) to do so on the players’ behalf.
Butts’ dream remains the chance to play rugby at the highest level internationally. He said that he and the other Guyanese on the team have been invited to play for a team in Kansas. “I would love to take advantage of this opportunity but we have national duties to fulfill,” he said. These duties include the World Cup qualifiers and the Caribbean 15-a-side championship.
“Playing rugby gave me the chance to play at the highest level and the opportunity to be recognised by international teams,” Butts added.
