FOR the second time, Guyana’s 7s Rugby team will compete in the USA leg of the International Rugby Board’s (IRB) 7s World Series which starts today at the Sam Boyd Stadium in Las Vegas.
Featuring the world’s top playing nations in the game’s shortest format, the Guyanese will be looking to better last year’s performance that saw them end the two-day tournament without a win.
Guyana will open the tournament, playing the very first match of the event against current joint leaders of the series – England – at 09:30 h and then against Argentina at 13:05 h followed by their clash against powerhouse France at 17:09 h to wrap up their group stage.
Compared to last year where they were placed with New Zealand, Australia and the French, the team departed these shores a happy bunch, content with the draw, calling it “something they can handle”.
However, while the players might be having such thoughts, Technical Director Spencer Robinson said last Tuesday that in rugby “no draw is a easy one” and reflected on Guyana’s drawn game (12-12) against the French last year.
The team will be without winger Dane Parks who dislocated his shoulder at the team’s final practice session and according to Robertson, his loss is a setback since he’s the fastest on the team and had an important role to play in their various game plans.
Robinson added that the Guyana 7s team was already missing some of its key players due to suspension and named player/coach and captain Theodore Henry, winger Claudius Butts and Ryan Gonsalves as some of the key cogs in the team’s success in Vegas.
Since arriving under the bright lights of one of the USA’s most popular cities, the Guyanese have created a buzz in the tournament as many remember their outstanding performance where they almost pulled off a win against an IRB Core team (France).
Henry was quoted on the tournament’s website (www.irbsevens.com) stating that the team is “very excited and very pumped up about playing this weekend. We played last year where we did quite well, but the objective is to do better this year”.
The buffed dreadlock player, along with Butts, is no stranger to this type of tournament, having played in the series several times before under the-then West Indies Sevens team, and has called their opening match against England as ‘David vs Goliath’ but however called it a positive start to the tournament.
“It’s a good start to play the very best and measure yourself against them (England) so that everyone that comes after is going to be second nature to us to play them, but as long as the guys play their hearts out and we do better than last year, that would make me happy,” Henry said.
Guyana earned their chance to compete this year when they lifted their fifth consecutive North American and Caribbean Rugby Association (NACRA) 7s Caribbean title. The team also chalked up Guyana’s first Central American and Caribbean (CAC) Gold Medal and gained more valuable exposure at the 2010 Commonwealth Games in India.
In Delhi, the team faced similar opponents as they are about to square off against, including eventual winners New Zealand. Henry said that more outings like India and Vegas would only mean well for the budding 7s team.
“We are building from strength to strength and it was a wonderful experience playing in India and we are looking forward to the Olympics with open arms. We get the most valued experience from playing in tournaments like this on the world stage against the very best.
“When we go back to the other tournaments we are a cut above the rest so these are the tournaments we really look forward to playing,” He added.
Local rugby fans can follow the game on www.irbsevens.com where play by play updates will be given.