By Emmerson Campbell
Guyana men’s rugby team captured their sixth consecutive North America Caribbean Rugby Association (NACRA) Sevens title after they demolished the Cayman Islands 27 to nil in the finals on Sunday at the Garrison Savannah in Barbados.
The local ruggers were so dominant throughout the two-day tournament which started on Saturday that they accumulated 190 points in their six games while only conceding twelve points, an average of almost 30 points difference over the six games.
Picking up where they left off in the pool games on Saturday, Guyana beat Martinique 17-7 in their first game of the knockout rounds. In the semi-final they resoundingly avenged their Pan-American Games defeat to Mexico by rolling over the Central American side 17-5, showing a mastery in regional rugby.
In a telephone interview with Stabroek Sport, player and coach Theodore Henry said he was proud of the team but he would like to see the side perform the same way at the higher levels of competition.
“I would say once again we have proven that we are the Caribbean leaders in seven-a-side rugby, right now it is about transferring this winning formula onto the world stage and to perform positively. It is about us performing well on the international stage because we have already established ourselves in the Caribbean. I want to see us take it to the next level. I must say I’m proud of the guys, the guys did very well but it was expected so I will not stress too much on it,” he said.
The Guyana men’s team which suffered heavy defeats at the Pan Am Games in Guadalajara, Mexico last month have somewhat redeemed themselves and have restored a sense of pride and confidence within the team.
Stabroek Sport also spoke with captain Ryan Gonsalves who said that the entire team played well and the team spirit has risen once again.
“The guys played well and our spirits are high again. The tournament was a great confidence booster – we knew exactly what our goal was before we came to Barbados, we came to win our sixth title and that is what we did,” said Gonsalves.
Gonsalves also highlighted that his team was very confident in the finals against the Cayman Islands team because of the style of rugby his side plays.
“Leading up to the final we knew that we had Cayman, they play a different style to us. There is no day that Cayman could beat us, we play a loose style of rugby, they play a 15s style in Sevens which is keeping it tight. We just kept the ball loose and kept scoring tries. Every single guy played well,” he said.
As well as strengthening their regional Sevens grip, Guyana also earned a place at the 2012 Cathay Pacific/HSBC Hong Kong Sevens, the sixth round of the HSBC Sevens World Series 2011/12.
During the presentation ceremony, NACRA Chief Executive Officer Tom Jones announced that Guyana’s men’s team is now eligible for the Hong Kong tournament, the most prestigious of the World Sevens Series events which will take place in March next year.
Meanwhile, the women’s rugby team had a different experience and failed to capture their fourth consecutive title. Having lost to USA South on Saturday, the local ladies also lost a narrow quarter-final to finalist Jamaica.
The game ended at 10-10 before moving into a sudden death extra time, in which the Reggae girls scored in the first minute, bringing an end to the Guyana women’s reign as three-time female Caribbean champions.
They also lost their most penetrative player in Colette Hope to injury on Saturday.
The Canadian Women’s Development team defeated Jamaica to claim the women’s NACRA title.
The 2011 NACRA championships attracted 26 teams from 16 countries.
Both the men’s and women’s teams are scheduled to return to Guyana today.
