Angus Thomson, the newly appointed Technical Director (TD) of the Guyana Rugby Football Union (GRFU) (GRFU) said yesterday apart from helping this country achieve success further afield than the Caribbean, he was also looking to build and improve on Guyana’s rich legacy in the sport.
Thomson made the disclosures yesterday during an introductory briefing with media operatives at the Guyana Olympic Association (GOA) headquarters on High Street.
Thomson, who boasts an impressive resume, is Guyanese by birth, bred in Scotland and lives in Australia.
Apart from being adamant about capitalising on the rich structure that already exists, Thomson says his long term goal is to ensure Guyana successfully competes against the top nations of the world.
Guyana has been a dominant force in the North American and Caribbean Rugby Association (NACRA) region with the men’s team being the current holders of the NACRA 7s and 15s titles.
Guyana’s rugby players lifted both trophies in the same year, a feat never before achieved by a Caribbean nation.
Prior to that, the men’s had won the 7s title an unprecedented six years in succession while the ladies has also won the 7s three years in a row.
Thomson said that he was hoping to create a culture where the rugby players can think beyond success at the regional level.
Onto International success
Now that Guyana has already conquered the Caribbean in the discipline of rugby Thomson is aiming further afield and has already identified as the first major task, the much-anticipated Hong Kong Sevens tournament set for March 27-29.
The team following the Hong Kong Sevens will not rest on its laurels however as the Olympic Qualifiers in June and the Pan Am tournament in Toronto, Canada are next up on the agenda in Thomson’s quest to see Guyana’s rugby chart new heights.
He admitted though that this country has not been engaging in much high level preparation for games against high quality sides.
This, of course, is partly due to the GRFU’s constant battle to secure funding to send representative national teams to compete at major tournaments, much less fund such preparatory games.
Former president of the GRFU, Christopher “Kit” Nascimento, said the GRFU is in a much tougher position this year with regards funding.
Nascimento noted that the men’s 7s and 15s teams were being prepared simultaneously to defend their NACRA titles and he made a strong case for government and the private sector’s support for the players, stating that the benefits of the exposure for the country at events such as the Hong Kong Sevens and Olympic Qualifiers were enormous.
Thompson joined forces with Guyana’s rugby five years ago when the men’s 7s team was in Las Vegas.
GRFU President, Peter Green said that the TD’S role is to set a platform for Guyana who is aiming to qualify for the 2016 Olympics in Rio, Brazil. According to Green, he will also be working with the country’s men’s 7s and 15s squads, as well as the ladies programme, which was recently resuscitated.
