By Emmerson Campbell
The Guyana Rugby Football Union (GRFU) yesterday selected the men’s’ Sevens team that will represent Guyana at the Las Vegas Invitational Sevens tournament from February 9 to 11.
The Las Vegas tournament will serve as a warm-up ahead of the team’s participation at the HSBC Sevens World Series in Hong Kong from March 23 to 25.
The local ruggers earned a place at the HSBC Sevens World Series after they won their sixth consecutive North America Caribbean Rugby Association (NACRA) title last year November in Barbados by demolishing the Cayman Islands by 29 points to nil.
During a telephone interview with Stabroek Sport yesterday, Chief Selector and Director of Sevens, Mike Mc Cormack, noted that the Las Vegas Invitational Sevens tournament is expected to provide the players with the elite level of competition essential for their preparation for the Hong Kong Sevens.
McCormack also pointed out that thanks to the support from President Donald Ramotar, the GRFU is now able to provide the necessary supplements for the ruggers to off set the high intensity training programme.
The team’s participation at the Las Vegas Invitational Sevens was made possible after President Ramotar on Friday last, presented the GRFU with a cheque worth five million dollars.
If the local team does well at the Las Vegas tournament, it will perhaps give them the necessary confidence they need to succeed in Hong Kong.
The Hong Kong tournament is very important to the Guyana side as it is one of the pathways to qualifying for the 2016 Olympics in Brazil. Hong Kong will also serve as a Qualification Tournament that can possibly make Guyana a Core team.
Players on Core Teams become semi professionals and are paid as semi professionals. Core Teams are also invited and accommodated free of cost to all of the HSBC tournaments.
The team which will wing out for Las Vegas on February 6 will be made up of Captain Ryan Gonsalves, vice captain, Elwin Chase, Theodore Henry, Valon Adams, Dwayne Schroeder, Rickford Cummings, Peabo Hamilton, UK based Rupert Giles and the trio of Trinidad and Tobago-based players Ryan Hinckson, Richard Staglon and Ronald Mayers.
The reserves will be Walter George, Troy Bascomb, Avery Corbin and Rondell Hutson.
Henry, who is also the head coach, will be assisted by Shane Grant-Stewart. The team will be managed by Robin Roberts while the physiotherapist will be Barrington Browne.
