By Rawle Toney
Guyana’s National Sevens Rugby team which will compete at this year’s NAWIRA Sevens World Cup qualifiers was given a much-needed boost from the Guyana Telephone and Telegraph Company (GT&T) who yesterday donated one million dollars.
GT&T has always been supportive of the Guyana Rugby football Union (GRFU) and earlier this year made a similar contribution to the West Indies Sevens Rugby team which included six Guyanese players.
Recently the GRFU announced that the trip to The Bahamas would cost them approximately G$ 8.5m to send male and female teams to the qualifiers.
Making the presentation was CEO of GT&T Major General Ret. Joe Singh who said that the company saw lending assistance to the Sevens Rugby team as part of their corporate mandate and social responsibility since rugby has always been one of the stand out sports in Guyana. Singh, a former rugby player himself, said that once again GT&T was leading the way and called on other businesses to support the team in its quest to bring glory once again to Guyana by qualifying for the Sevens World Cup.
Accepting the cheque on behalf of the GRFU was its president Noel Adonis who was high in praise of GT&T.
Adonis said GT&T has always been a strong advocate of rugby in Guyana adding that now the teams would be hard pressed to make it all the way to the World Cup.
The GRFU’s marketing consultant Christopher “Kit” Nascimento said that the sponsorship of GT&T would be a big boost for the team and called on other members of corporate Guyana to come to the team’s assistance.
Meanwhile, both teams have already begun preparations ahead of next week-end’s event in The Bahamas.
The male team of whom much is expected has seen the return of five of their overseas players but according to Nascimento, the release of Kelvin McKenzie from his professional club in Ireland was still uncertain. It was also revealed that the International Rugby Board (IRB) and the North American and West Indies Rugby Association (NA WIRA) Developmental Officer Scott Harland arrived in Guyana yesterday.
According to Harland, his mission to Guyana is to lend any assistance possible.
This is Harland’s third visit to Guyana, a country which he says, has have talent in abundance and with the right nurturing can become a team to be reckoned with. Touching on Guyana’s chances at this year’s qualifiers, the Canadian said that having seen Guyana play at both Sevens Caribbean championships which they have won, the only thing stopping them was getting past powerhouses USA and Canada.
He added that Guyana could upset the two countries but said the disadvantage the local team faces is not playing enough Sevens tournaments.
Guyana, the reigning Caribbean Sevens champions will be entering the event ranked number three behind Canada and the USA and will be joined in Pool C by Jamaica whom they defeated in the last two Caribbean Sevens finals, Barbados and St Vincent and the Grenadines at the October 25-26 event.
