By Kizan Brumell
National Rugby Head coach Laurence Adonis has faith in his soldiers who are about to embark on a rough journey in the upcoming 2008 North American and West Indies Rugby Association (NAWIRA) Junior Championships in Barbados from July 5-13 and feels that they can win the championship.
“I am not ruling out that we can go all the way and win this year’s 2008 NAWIRA Championships, I think the feeling to win is growing even stronger even though the team is not fully experienced, but we have a wealth of talent and that may be our strength,” said Adonis.
The pending male Guyana Under-20 Rugby team could be in for more than they have bargained for going into the Junior Championships.
The players will be tasked with the responsibility of keeping a perfect record against the Trinidad and Tobago team who will have the unenviable task of trying to follow in their senior male and female teams’ footsteps by winning the 2008 NAWIRA Championships and win all the Rugby titles for 2008. Guyana thrashed Trinidad and Tobago 31-12 last year in the Cayman Islands placing second in the tournament after losing 1-1 to Jamaica in a penalty shootout after the two teams were deadlocked 14-14 at the final whistle.
Guyana is grouped in Pool B with Trinidad and Tobago (first match up) and Cayman Islands while 2007 NAWIRA Junior Champions Jamaica, Barbados and Mexico are in Pool A.
A squad of 31 is currently attending practice sessions with national coach Adonis and his deputy Alton Agard in the National Park on the Rugby playfield every Tuesdays, Wednesdays and Thursdays with a practice game held on Saturdays along with indoor sessions at the Guyana Olympics Association on Mondays and Fridays. When head coach Adonis spoke with Stabroek Sport, he had implied that the current team was one of the east experienced teams he has coached.
“This year’s team has players with only one year experience at the international level as there are about seven or eight players who played in the previous NAWIRA tournament compared to last year’s team which had players with at least four years experience,” Adonis added.
He, however, is satisfied with the current preparation of the team and rates their progress in the high nineties and predict that by the week approaching the tournament they would acquire peak form.
“The inclusion [of ]Rupert Giles in the squad has brought a lot of experience into the side and I had a good look at him and I think he is fairly competent and I welcome his talent” Adonis added.