… Director of Sport Neil Kumar congratulates team
THE Guyana Rugby Football Union (GRFU) said that the NACRA 15s title which they won in Atlanta last Saturday is dedicated to the people of Guyana. At a press conference hosted yesterday at the Guyana Olympic Association’s (GOA) Kingston Georgetown Office, the GFRU, through its president Peter Green and captain Ryan Gonsalves, said that their 30-27 sudden-death come-from-behind win over USA South is a reflection of how hard Guyanese work to achieve their goal despite climbing several obstacles.
“This victory is for the average person on the street, the people who believed in us, it’s for the people who went into their pockets and gave us their last $1 000 bill. This victory is for the companies that supported us at the last moment.
There’s no other way for me to pay you guys back and winning the tournament is the least we could’ve done,” said GRFU president Peter Green.
Green said that the Union is $1.5M in debt and could have only participated after the North American and Caribbean Rugby Association (NACRA) paid for the team’s airfare and visas.
“It was hard looking some of the guys in their faces and to tell them we don’t have money to even purchase meals but we’re grateful for the people who helped us, old players and everyone else who ensured that our guys could have played and got a good result,” Green noted.
Gonsalves, who scored the winning penalty, said that Guyana is largely known as a Sevens-playing nation but winning the NACRA tournament supersedes every other accolade the country has ever accomplished in the game.
Guyana have won six Caribbean 7s title and would have played in the IRB World Series and the Commonwealth Games (India 2010) but Gonsalves said that nothing could compare to winning a NARCA 15s title which he said is the “best thing to ever happen to Rugby in Guyana. 15s Rugby is like Test cricket. When you start winning major 15s tournament, then people give you that respect and now, Guyana has a place in the world.”.
There was enough distraction off the pitch, especially the uncertainty surrounding the team’s participation in the finals, coupled with the fact that they were cash-strapped to even keep them afloat while being in Atlanta, but nonetheless, the captain said that with all the sacrifices made and hard work put into getting to the finals, winning was the only thing on their minds.
The Guyanese trailed the Americans 24-8 going into the second half of the game but Gonsalves commended his troops, stating “none of the guys bent their heads and were worried about the score, even though they were leading. We worked too hard and made too much sacrifice ahead of the game to even worry about a score because we were that confident.”
“We believed in ourselves, we were faster than they and they knew that as well. In all it was the best thing to ever happen to Guyana Rugby and what we endured made the win even sweeter. We want to say ‘thank you’ to everyone who supported us and encouraged us while going there, the fans and everyone who believed in us,” Gonsalves said.
Meanwhile, an evidently emotional Green pointed out Rugby in Guyana is in good hands with the present administration of the GRFU, citing the ever-improving nursery which will add to the sustainability of the senior national team.
The GRFU were to send an Under-19 team to Trinidad and Tobago later this month, but Green said “we pulled them from that tournament because we don’t want to just go there and participate; we want meaningful participation where we could stand a chance of winning.
The team isn’t ready as yet but theplayers will be going away in December. If we’re going to do something, we must be properly prepared because now we have an image to protect and that is having the best 15s and 7s Rugby team.”.
The GRFU president stressed that the team is still in the ‘red’ and says he hopes the Government will at least honour the players on their historic achievement.
“We (are) in debt $1.5M and in fairness to the Government, it’s not their fault we didn’t get the support. The way the National Sports Commission (NSC) is set up, we would have to lobby for money early, but its NACRA’s fault because of how they do business, didn’t know exactly when we’re going to play and where in the US,” Green said.
Banks DIH Limited hosted a reception for the team last evening at Thirst Park, where players and officials of the GRFU were honoured for their triumph in the U.S.
The Guyanese ruggers, nicknamed the Guyana Jaguars or ‘Green Machine’, were welcomed by Director of Sport Neil Kumar upon arrival in Guyana last Monday afternoon.
Kumar, who executed the duties of liaison officer for the team on their arriival lauded the victorious ruggers for their impressive showing, noting that the victory is an important one for Guyana, as the country defeated a higher-ranked nation.
“It was an excellent performance by the Guyanese and everyone who played a part in assisting this team to such a win should be congratulated. Ryan Gonsalves and his teammates played very well to come back from being down 8-24 and win 30-27, limiting the powerful Americans to just three points in the second half, while scoring 22 was indeed a great achievement,” Kumar pointed out.
