By Emmerson Campbell
The national men’s Sevens rugby team yesterday held their final practice games at the Providence National Stadium.
They leave tonight for Chula Vista, San Diego where they will be encamped with the USA Rugby team.
Following the team’s encampment with the USA team, they will head to Hong Kong on March 17 to participate in the HSBC Sevens World Series which will be held 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.
Before the team’s practice kicked off, Director of Sport, Neil Kumar paid them a courtesy call. During a brief speech Kumar noted that the six-time NACRA champions are unrivaled locally when it comes to the accomplishments of any team sport. He praised their exploits and encouraged the ruggers to be ambassadors for Guyana while in San Diego and Hong Kong.
After the team’s practice games Stabroek Sport caught up with player/coach Theodore Henry who spoke briefly about the day’s play as well as the team’s readiness for the Hong Kong tournament.
“Basically we were just getting the overseas guys (Trinidad and Tobago-based players Richard Staglon and Ronald Mayers) incorporated in the loop, get the pattern of play and our chemistry going trying to gel as a unit,” Henry said.
He added: “Like I said before our team is 90% ready – we’re going to get the full unit in San Diego and we will have a nice practice match against the US on Tuesday so by then we should have a good assessment of how ready we will be for Hong Kong. The team spirit is good right now, it is among the highest I’ve ever seen so we are motivated and will do our best.”
The Hong Kong tournament is very important to Guyana 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 is made up of captain Ryan Gonsalves, vice captain Staglon, Elwin Chase, player/coach Henry, Claudius Butts, Vallon Adams, Christopher Singh, Rickford Cummings, Walter George, UK-based Christopher Giles, Australia-based Kevin McKenzie and Mayers.
McKenzie and Giles will join the team in San Diego.
The team will be managed by Mike McCormack while the Technical Director will be Los Angeles-based Guyanese Conrad Arjune. Barrington Browne is the team’s physiotherapist.
