The Panthers rugby outfit are back-to-back club Sevens champions after blanking the Guyana Defence Force (GDF) ruggers 17-0 yesterday at the National Park to lift the Trophy Stall 7s title.
One week after lifting the GRFU 7s championship, the Panthers never let up and once again played unbeaten throughout the one-day tournament to add another piece of hardware to their growing collection.
Speedy winger, Ryan Dey got the Panthers off to a brilliant start after he pounced on his teammate’s (Lance Adonis) fumble near the try line. What seemed to be a turnover for the Panthers, turned into five-nil advantage for the champions after quick thinking from Dey enabled his name to be the first on the scoresheet. Lloyd Anderson then buried the conversion to give the Panthers a seven-point lead.
The Panthers, who controlled the bulk of the possession, kept pressing and soon had another champagne moment.
Robert Skeete made an initial strong run and then played give-and-go with Adonis and Osei McKenzie before finishing the effort.
That made it 12-nil.
The Panthers were patient even with the score advantage and soon their burly captain, Rondell McArthur, was able to bounce off a few defenders for a try just before the final whistle.
In a post-match interview, McArthur told Stabroek Sport that his side has been using the domestic tournaments as a stepping stone to compete at an international club championship in Barbados in November.
He then credited the team’s success to “having a strong bond which enables us function as good unit.”
Note: The Panthers never trailed in any of their games during the past two tournaments.
