… Butts calls for public support
CLAUDIUS Butts, captain of the Guyana 7s Rugby team playing in this weekend’s historic Central American and Caribbean (CAC) tournament, is of the opinion that his side is 100% ready to keep the silverware on home soil.
It is the first time that the sport of rugby was added to list of competition for the CAC Games and according to Butts while it’s their aspiration to win, it will not be an easy task. Guyana is known as one of the best 7s playing team from the Caribbean, having won the North American and Caribbean Rugby Association (NACRA) tournament an unprecedented four times in succession, and adding the CAC title would mean a lot, says Butts.
NACRA-playing nations Trinidad & Tobago, Bahamas, Cayman, Jamaica and Mexico along with Costa Rica and Venezuela from the Confederación Sudamericana de Rugby (CONSUR) will join host Guyana as they vie for the prestigious CAC title come July 24–25 at the Guyana National Stadium.
But of the seven teams, Butts mentioned that they have never played against Costa Rica and Venezuela and they are expecting stiff challenge from the two teams from the CONSUR region.
“Our first game is against Costa Rica and we would be looking forward to playing them because we are not certain if we will get a chance to face Venezuela, but if we do I think we’re fully prepared. I can’t tell when last I’ve seen this team so focused for a tournament; so I think we will do well,” the Guyana team captain said.
Butts believes “the four-day camp we had up at Splashmin’s really did a lot for us in terms of getting us to really know each other and getting us mentally prepared, so I think it was one the best preparations we’ve had for a tournament which I believe was well received as well”.
The 12-member team for the CAC games was released on Wednesday upon the conclusion of the team’s encampment. When asked what are his thoughts on his fellow team mates, Butts opined that players selected were the best possible to represent Guyana and that the players are no stranger to high level competition.
Most of the players named statistically are among some of the best rugby players in the Caribbean having represented the region before in international competition.

NO PRESSURE
It is the first time that the Guyana team would be playing a major tournament at home but the skipper said that his team will not be under pressure but are rather excited to show the public how things are done on tour.
Butts who also stands as skipper of the West Indies 7s Rugby team told Chronicle Sport yesterday that “we are more excited to play at home than be under any pressure really because everyone is really behind us and we just want to go out there and play rugby for the people. I mean we know we have to win so it’s just that we would be doing it at home so there’s no pressure on us really.”
Meanwhile, after playing at the IRB USA Sevens earlier this year, Butts believes that the players have grown tremendously and see the CAC games as a means of showing how much they have developed over the past couple of months.
“I think the tournament in Las Vegas did a lot for us because normally some of us would play at the Sevens series on the West Indies team but we went this time as a country; so I think it has helped us to see the game a bit differently and understand each other. More so I think now we have a bigger approach to the game because remember the Series is full of top teams and top players,” Butts mentioned.
“We just want people to come out and support us,” Butts said adding, “I mean we have been getting a lot of support from companies, and the people who usually come out but it would be good to see a lot of persons coming out and showing us their support this weekend. It would mean a lot to us and the sport.”