Guyana to hold final practice on Sunday before heading to T&T
IT’S been four years since the North American and Caribbean Rugby Association (NACRA) held a 15s Championships and in the final of that competition, played in the Cayman Islands, Guyana lost to Trinidad and Tobago.
Now Guyana, a five-time 7s Caribbean Champion, are looking to make up for that loss as they prepare to face the defending champions on May 27 in the Twin Island Republic in the Second South Zone Round of the 2011 NACRA Fifteens Championships.
According to a release by the Guyana Rugby Football Union (GRFU) the National 15s squad have been in intensive training for the past four weeks coming off the William Blackman 15s Cup Competition, won by Pepsi Hornets and will play their final training game this Sunday at the National Park Rugby Ground, kicking off at 16: 00hrs.
Chairman of Selectors, Mike McCormack, will announce the National team at the conclusion of Sunday’s training game.
The release stated that head coach Theodore Henry has been working the squad hard, focusing on fitness training. They held their first beep test on Tuesday last.
Guyana’s squad will be a mixture of both youth and experience having drawn players who have risen from the country’s Youth Development Programme over the past four years, supported by a number of skilled international players from the Sevens Championship team.
The 2011 NACRA Caribbean Championships are being contested in separate North and South Zones, with the winner of the North playing the winner of the South for the Championship.
To date, Barbados have emerged winners of the First Round in the South Zone, defeating BVI, 19-13, and having earlier defeated St Lucia, 31-12, BVI having defeated St Vincent & The Grenadines, 25-13.
Barbados will play Trinidad & Tobago this Sunday in Trinidad in the Second South Zone Round, with Guyana taking on Trinidad & Tobago on May 28 and Guyana hosting Barbados at the National Stadium on June 11.