Theodore Henry and Albert La Rose, two of Guyana’s star players in the West Indies Rugby Team (WIRT) for the International Rugby Board (IRB) World Sevens Series tournament that gets underway on Saturday say they think the tournament will be “brutally tough,” but warned the more established sides to beware the underdogs.
In an exclusive interview told Stabroek Sport, Henry declared:” I think it is a great opportunity for players in Guyana to be exposed and recognized internationally and I think the team will perform at its best.”
Henry added that the tournament is expected to be “brutally tough” because the level of play is high, especially in the event where they will have to take on the top ranking Fiji whose team possess fitness, size and skills. He expects the team to perform at its best especially the Guyanese players.
“I know we will do well because this is our second time playing in the tournament and we are prepared both physically and mentally.” When asked about the negative aspects of the team’s preparation Henry said that the team rarely gets to spend time together which is going to affect the communication level on field.
He added that for the team to progress it needs to be together for a period of time to “learn each other’s body movements and style of play.”
The IRB has a ‘beep test’ that is given to measure the level of fitness a player has and in order to pass the test a player must have a score of 13 and over. Henry remarked that his team mates are all above 13 while his own fitness level is 14.10.
The hooker/scrum-half said that previously he was into basketball, soccer and other high energy games and at that time he hated rugby very much because it seemed to be a barbaric sport. Henry recalled that he was invited to play on several occasion but never turned up.
According to Henry, he decided to follow a few of his friends to the National Park where he met with Oliver James who confronted him about playing the sport. And that is how it all began.
Henry said playing the sport and becoming acquainted with the rules made him realize that it was not so barbaric. He added that he has since become very attached to rugby. Henry started his rugby playing with the Yamaha Caribs in 2000 and represented Guyana in 2001 in the Seven-a-Side Caribbean Championship in Jamaica. He has not looked back and has since become a regular player on national teams.
Henry was first selected for the West Indies team in 2001 but, owing to a broken wrist, he did not participate. The opportunity came again in 2004 when he played successfully on the team and has been a member ever since.
When asked what training is like Henry told Stabroek Sport that it is very intense and, apart from team training, he works out in the gym regularly. La Rose, who is a scrum half/hooker, told Stabroek Sport:” We are going into the tournament as the underdogs; the team needs to be competitive but we have a lot in store for them.”
The young rugby player said his first encounter with the sport was at the Guyana Olympic Association (GOA) annual youth camp where he decided to take part in the sport. He later joined the Hornets Rugby Club which has produced some outstanding rugby players.
La Rose proudly disclosed that he was a member of national under-19 team which participated in a tournament in 2001 in Guadeloupe.
He also played in the 15-a-side Rugby World Cup qualifier preliminaries.
La Rose played in the 2002 Carib International Invitational Sevens tournament in Trinidad and Tobago which is one of the largest rugby tournaments in the Caribbean and has since participated in the tournament every year.
According to La Rose, he played in the 2005 Digicel North America West Indies Rugby Association (NAWIRA) tournament and subsequently represented the West Indies Rugby Team.
La Rose, who was adjudged the Most Valuable Player at the Police Sevens 2006 men’s tournament in Trinidad in December, said that his training consists of early morning and late afternoon workouts for one-and-a-half hours.
He noted that because of his healthy eating habits and attention to fitness, he has earned a score of 18 in the ‘beep test’, which is the highest score for all the players in the West Indies team.
According to La Rose, gaining sponsorship to play in tournaments is tough. He now resides in Trinidad and Tobago where he was offered a job and housing to play for the Stag Northern Rugby Football club.