Guyana’s 2016 Rugby America’s North (RAN) 15s campaign started on a positive note yesterday at the National Park with a 48-17 whipping of Barbados.
Three tries by Avery Corbin along with a penalty and five conversions by former national captain, Ryan Gonsalves put paid to the efforts of the burly Bajans.
Guyana’s Dwayne Schroeder, Rickford Cummings, Lance Adonis and Dane Parks also scored a try apiece to pad the scoreline.
Anthony Faggiani (two tries), Jeren Clarke (one try) and Kevin Carter (a conversion) were the players on the scoresheet for the blue clad visitors.
The scoreline was a clear indication of Guyana’s dominance, especially in the first half.Guyana was quickly up 15-nil after Gonsalves opened the scoring with a penalty, a conversion and a try each by Corbin and Cummings.
The Bajans would score 34 minutes into the game with a Faggiani try but three minutes later, Corbin recorded his second try after bulling his way past the defense. Gonsalves promptly buried to conversion to make it 22-5.
Schroeder then joined the party and Gonsalves again converted. Then a minute before the half-time whistle, Corbin once breached the Barbados’ try line for the third time and guess who converted to make it 36-5? Yes Gonsalves.
In the second half, both teams played a more defensive game and canceled out each other with 12 points each but Guyana had a plus 31 advantage from the first half to record the victory.
The 2014 NACRA 15’s champions will now look ahead to Jamaica on May 21 and Trinidad on June 19.
Once the national team is victorious in the above encounters, they will play the winner of the Northern Zone for the overall RAN title and move onto other Qualifiers in a bid for a 2019 World Cup berth. (Emmerson Campbell)
