The Guyana Rugby Football Union (GRFU) yesterday received support from the National Sports Commission (NSC) in the form of a cheque worth $1.2M to help blanket expenses for the men’s team which will compete in the Rugby Americas North (RAN) 7s Championship in the Turks and Caicos.
Director of Sport, Steve Ninvalle made the presentation to the union’s Assistant/Secretary Treasurer, Tiffany Spencer at his Middle Street office where he highlighted the NSC’s pleasure at being able to support one of the country’s most successful sport teams – the ‘Green Machine’.
“Rugby is one of our 12 Core Sports disciplines. And not because it is a core sport, we would want to assist as many sports disciplines as possible. We understand that this is a very important tournament and that is why we try to muster as much support as possible,” Ninvalle said.
According to Ninvalle, “This is not the last that we (the NSC) will be lending support to the GRFU. We do wish them well and hopefully they can come back with the highest accolade.”
Meanwhile, Spencer lauded the NSC for the timely support, calling it a “great assistance” towards the Green Machine.
The GRFU said they were in a deficit of approximately US$19,000 to make the team’s participation possible.
Spencer said that the NSC’s contribution “will assist the team a great deal. We only have a little more to go, which we can handle. But we’re grateful for the assistance and we will be coming back again.”
The ‘new-look’ Green Machine will scrum off their quest to reclaim their RAN 7’s title against Belize on Saturday.
Organisers released the tournament’s fixtures ahead of this weekend’s showdown, that will feature nine territories vying for the coveted title.
The two-day tournament, set for the Meridian Fields in Providenciales, will see Guyana in Group C alongside Bermuda and first time participants, Belize.
Three-time winners, Jamaica were placed in Group A with the British Virgin Islands (BVI) and the Turks and Caicos, while in Group B, Mexico will come-up against Barbados and Curacao.
The Green Machine, seven-time winners of the prestigious tournament, will send a 12-man squad blended with both youth and experience to the tournament.
Jamal Angus will lead Coach Theodore Henry’s team of experienced players which includes Godfrey Broomes, Osei McKenzie, Rondel McArthur, Lancelot Adonis, Avery Corbin and Peabo Hamilton.
Phibian Joseph, Tyresse Prescod, O’Neil Charles, Jonathan Garnett and Lionel Holder are the other players on the team that will seek to return the RAN trophy to Guyana since Guyana surrendered the title to Jamaica in 2017.
This year’s RAN tournament marks the return of international rugby to the Caribbean for the time since the COVID-19 global pandemic began in 2020 and also acts as a qualifier for next year’s World Rugby Sevens Challenger Series.
