Guyana recently acquired both of the top seeded positions in the Caribbean region when they competed in the NAWIRA Regional RWC 2009 Sevens Qualifier Tournament in Nassau, The Bahamas on October 25 and 26.
However, both teams finished third overall in the tourney behind Canada and the USA. Guyana’s female team finished behind Canada and the USA while the men placed third behind the USA and Canada respectively.
This is the third consecutive year that the men’s team has been able to win the Caribbean Sevens tourney while for the female team, it is the first occasion that they have won the title.
At Olympic House yesterday, members of the Guyana Rugby Football Union (GRFU) gave a brief account of the tough and exciting two-day tournament.
Coach of the male Sevens team, Sherlock Solomon, stated that the task of being a defending champion and competing was not an easy one and in that light he thought his team performed creditably.
“We had to play Jamaica who are probably our toughest competitor in the region in our first match but after the guys heard that they (Jamaica) were not coming to the tourney they became a bit overconfident and that made them just play to win and not show that they were the defending champions,” Solomon said.
“However, they saved the best for last when they blew away Bermuda 42 – 0 on the second day in their final match which I think made them demonstrate why they have been the region’s top Sevens team for three consecutive years,” Solomon noted.
Female Sevens coach Alton Agard stated that his team left home soil with three goals to accomplish.
“We wanted to win the championships, compete at a high standard against the USA and Canada and support the male team,” Agard said.
He was satisfied that all the goals were met but he was disappointed with the government and a few corporate entities who did not fully support the GRFU.
The GRFU nearing their date for departure had not reached their goal of acquiring the $8.5 million budget required to make participation in the tournament possible, leaving them no other choice than to secure a loan.
Public relations and marketing manager of the GRFU, Kit Nascimento, said in his remarks, “We, the GRFU, will be appealing to the government again banking on the fact that Guyana have worked hard to become the best in the Caribbean.”
“There was live coverage of the competition but unfortunately no local television station broadcast any of the matches Guyana played but I will get videos of our games and it would be broadcast on a local station,” Nascimento said.
Manager of the teams Robin Peterson, along with captain of the female Sevens team Sabola Gray, Nascimento and GRFU long-serving president Noel Adonis all commended the efforts of the teams, coaches and the rest of the union for a job well done.
In the two days of competition a few Guyanese players received injures. Richard Staglon was the most serious as he sustained a gash over his right eye that required 37 stitches.
The male team defeated Cayman Islands 10 – 0, Bermuda (42 – 0), Trinidad & Tobago (5 – 0) but lost to Canada 42 – 0 for the third place in the overall tourney but was first for the Caribbean region while the females defeated Jamaica (12-0), Trinidad & Tobago (15 – 5), Bermuda (41-7) and lost to USA (59-0).
The Men’s Sevens team did not concede any goal by a Caribbean team but the USA, who had four professional players and Canada who had semi-professional players were able to mark on their board.
After the conclusion of the tournament a West Indian squad was selected and would be announced later by president of the WIRU Nascimento.
The six male players who have made the squad are Claudis Butts, Theodore Henry, Richard Staglon, Rupert Giles, Kevin McKenzie and Albert La Rose.
