– Whipple preparing rugby squad to deliver a whipping

By Floyd Christie

Head Coach of the West Indies rugby team and National Rugby Technical Director, Joe Whipple, is on a four-day visit to Guyana to conduct and coordinate practice sessions and fitness programmes for the national squad at the National Park in preparation for the upcoming Central America and Caribbean (CAC) Games.

Whipple, who also served as the Technical Director for the national team that won the Caribbean Championships last November, is currently preparing the national squad for the CAC Games which will be held at the  National Stadium on July 24 and 25.

In an interview with Stabroek Sport yesterday, Whipple stated that the national team has improved a lot and has gotten stronger since last November.

“Defensively we’re very improved and we’re playing a better game in the contacts and the tackles,” Whipple said.

He added that offensively the team was also visibly improved, stating that “it takes a while to really build your offence, but we’re going to see some good things in the next month or two.”

The national squad has recently completed a six-week strength training programme and they are currently focusing on fitness and skills in the second phase of their training which will continue until two weeks before the tournament.

Whipple emphasized that the team is striving to be ”bigger, stronger, and faster” and this should be achieved following the conclusion of the training. While commenting on the team’s strong points and areas that needed to be worked on he stated, “They’re a very hard working group and they can work much harder than other teams and this allows us to be more competitive.”

However, he noted that offensively there is still room for improvement.

Meanwhile, the Guyana Rugby Football Union (GRFU) Rugby Seven’s Club League which coincides with the national squad’s preparations for the CAC games continues today at the National Park.