The local rugby team engaged in a full practice yesterday at the National Park to work on some of their weak areas, while also trying to improve on their strong points ahead of their Las Vegas Invitational Sevens tournament.
The Las Vegas three-day tournament which will bully off on February 9 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. Seeded in the top four for the Las Vegas tournament, if the local ruggers turn in a commendable performance, it will perhaps give them the necessary confidence they need to succeed in Hong Kong. Stabroek Sport spoke with national captain Ryan Gonsalves who revealed some of the aspects the ruggers were working on.
Said Gonsalves: “We had four practice games today. We were working on our strengths; we were working on retaining possession, multiple possessions during the passage of play, and we were also working on the opposition’s defence from left to right then trying to penetrate up the middle.
“Defensively we are working on our defensive structure to the new guys who are now making the team, it is kind of difficult with them adapting for now but we should be okay before we go to Vegas.”
Gonsalves also revealed that they are doubling up on their fitness routines to ensure they arrive in Las Vegas in top physical condition.
“We are also doubling up in our fitness department, tomorrow morning [today] again we will be engaging in physical training so we will be working very hard for Vegas also reflecting on our Beep Test that we had on Thursday. We had some pretty good scores; some guys in the 10s all the way up to the 13s and we will have another Beep Test before we leave. So I’m confident everyone will be in top physical shape but we will be really be working on retaining the ball because that will be very important.”
The Hong Kong tournament is very important to the Guyana side as it is one of the pathways to qualify 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 also 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 Gonsalves, vice captain Elwin Chase, Theodore Henry, Claudius Butts, Valon Adams, Dwayne Schroeder, Rickford Cummings, Christopher Singh, 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, Breon Walks, 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. Barrington Browne is the team’s physiotherapist.
