– GT&T outfits team with blazers and ties
The national rugby Sevens team departed Guyana this morning for the nineteenth Commonwealth Games to be held in New Delhi, India from October 3-14.
Bidding farewell to the team was Minister of Culture, Youth & Sport, Dr. Frank Anthony as they left from the ministry’s compound at 7.30 am for the Cheddi Jagan International Airport on their way to New Delhi, where they will be contending the rugby Sevens events against the world’s best rugby nations on October 11 and 12.
The local contingent of players and officials are scheduled to depart Guyana at 11 am for Barbados where they will rendezvous with the team’s overseas-based players and officials to begin a four-day training camp in preparation for participation in the Games. While there the team will also compete against and train with the Barbados national rugby Sevens team.
The team will then depart Barbados on September 23 for the United Kingdom and will be hosted by the Loughborough University and the BOOST (Building On Overlooked Sporting Talent) Coaching Academy for further team preparation, including participation in a high level rugby Sevens tournament.
Following the team’s September 30 departure from the United Kingdom, all roads will lead to the Commonwealth Games Village in New Delhi, India. Throughout their transit the team and officials will be attired in slick-looking green blazers (jackets) and ties donated by the Guyana Telephone and Telegraph (GT&T) company, an ardent supporter of the rugby team throughout the years.
Making the presentation of the attire at GT&T’s canteen at Hadfield Street yesterday was the company’s Deputy General Manager of Public Communication, Terry Holder.
“GT&T is again pleased to be associated with the Guyana Rugby Football Union and the champion team that has consistently brought pride and glory to the country,” Holder stated as he expressed GT&T’s pleasure in supporting the team as they embark on “a much greater and high profile competition.”
“We have no doubt that the confidence they played with in Guyana, with the obvious skills and talent that they possess, they will keep the Golden Arrowhead aloft in India… we hope they make GT&T proud, make the entire Guyana proud and make themselves proud,” Holder added. Also speaking at the presentation ceremony, President of the Guyana Rugby Football Union Kit Nascimento stated that the team “will be going out dressed by Beharry (who sponsored the team’s uniform) and GT&T and will be proud to represent both companies” by doing their best in India.
“We will be playing against the very best teams in the world and we intend to win against them… we intend to win every game we play and we believe that we can,” Nascimento reiterated.
The team’s Player/Coach Theodore Henry has been in charge of the team’s local training in the National Park prior to their departure.
Henry speaking to Stabroek Sport noted that the team has improved on their gold medal winning performance they delivered at this year’s Central American and Caribbean (CAC) Games and the North American and Caribbean Rugby Association (NACRA) Championships since they will be going up against a higher caliber of competition.
“There has been an improvement in terms of fitness and we cleaned up some problem areas we had in terms of our performance against Jamaica in the CAC and mostly in the NACRA first game and the final… so we’re definitely feeling good about our preparation so far,” Henry stated.
The last time the national rugby Sevens team competed against world class competition was at the International Rugby Board (IRB) World Sevens Series in Las Vegas last February, but team captain Claudius Butts, who also spoke to this newspaper, is confident in having what he said is a stronger line-up than at the IRB Series.
