A CHRIS Singh try which was scored in the dying seconds of the contest enabled Guyana’s national rugby team dubbed the ‘Green Machine’ to come away with a 15-8 win over their nemesis Trinidad and Tobago at the Guyana National Park, yesterday afternoon.A penalty kick conversion from skipper Ryan Gonsalves, followed by another conversion off the boots of Gonsalves, when USA based Vallon Adams scored his try, firmly handed the ‘Green Machine’ the win and with it the North American Caribbean Rugby Football Association (NACRA) Caribbean 15s Championships.
Guyana, who defeated Barbados 48-19 at the historic Garrison Park, Savannah and rose five places to number 56 on the International Rugby Board (IRB) rankings, will now await the winner of the North Zone – featuring reigning champions USA South, Bermuda and Cayman Islands – for the undisputed title of overall Champions on June 28.
USA South have already commenced their quest to retain the Championship title with a convincing 33-6 win against Bermuda who faced Cayman Islands in the Cayman Islands yesterday, before USA South and Cayman Islands battle it out this coming Saturday.
Following a tense start in soggy conditions underfoot , which was created by the heavy rainfall that has been plaguing the country of late, Guyana, who defeated Barbados 48-19 in their first round matchup, took the attack to their opponents from the Twin Island Republic, using the wings to good advantage.
When they were awarded a penalty in the 15th minute, the home team opted to run at their opponents, who had also defeated Barbados 38-15 in their first round matchup, with Gonsalves, Adams, Theodore Henry, Claudius Butts, Richard Staglon and Dwayne Schroeder, controlling the run of play.
However, the Guyanese, who were defeated 20-0 by the same opponents last year, decided to have a try at the goal area on their second penalty kick taken from 25 meters out, with Gonsalves doing the conversion in the 32nd minute of the half to give his side a 3-0 advantage at lemon time.
It was short-lived, as T&T, through the hard working Wayne Kelly, Darrel Scott and Andre Cabera, took the fight to the home team and won a penalty in the 51st minute, which was converted by Don Rojas, who had missed one in the first half, levelling the score at 3-3.
Ten (10) minutes later and with the wind on their backs, T&T, through the efforts of Scott, scored a try to go ahead 8-3, but the ensuing conversion kick was missed by Rojas, whose fumble at midfield from a scrum , enabled Guyana to gain the advantage and a scored try was denied by the referee, who claimed Butts had conducted a knock-on.
Not to be denied, Adams displayed grit and determination in advancing the ball to the Trinidadians, backed by some solid defensive work on the wing from Carl Lewis, to score a try of his own in the 69th minute to level the score at 8-8.
With a very vocal home crowd including former and present presidents in Christopher ‘Kit’ Nascimento and Peter Greene being present, the ‘Green Machine’ got a second wind when Gonsalves scored the conversion kick to go ahead 10-8, and continued to attack their opponents relentlessly.
From one such attack, Singh, who was a second half substitute displaying great hand work in comparison to several of his teammates including Butts, pounced on a loose ball deep in T&T’s half and scored a sliding try in the 81st minute.
It was one that brought loud cheers from the crowd, who realised the scoreline was reading 15-8 in favour of the ‘Green Machine’, and despite Gonsalves missing the conversion kick, he was pardoned as the whistle sounded ending the contest and handing Guyana back the title they relinquished to T&T last year.
Written By Calvin Roberts