Guyana and reigning North American and Caribbean Rugby Association (NACRA) 7’s Champions Guyana, are heightening preparing for their title defence and Olympic Qualifiers in North Carolina on June 12–13.Having already surrendered their NACRA 15’s title to Trinidad and Tobago, Head Coach Theodore Henry told Chronicle Sport yesterday that the team is now anxious at not only retaining the trophy, but also becoming the first ‘team’ to represent Guyana at the 2016 Olympic Games.

Meanwhile, despite the inclement weather, Henry said the team is in the process of wrapping up their endurance training this week and will be focusing on their speed and agility leading into the tournament.

“Most of the team should be together by the 29th (May) and then the squad will be named shortly after,” Henry said when asked about the final composition of the team.

“What I can say is that the best possible players will be going to the qualifiers and the guys are all working hard. No one is a guarantee for the squad because everyone is working hard as well, so hopefully we get through this process quickly and head off to do Guyana proud,” said Henry.

The ‘Green Machine’ as they are more popularly known, according to the Head Coach, will travel to New York on June 5 where they would play a series of warm-up games.

Meanwhile, Henry said that the year has started poorly for his side, having lost their 15’s title and a dismal performance at the Hong Kong Sevens but the players nonetheless are looking to do well in North Carolina.

“Having done so well last year, we started off on a sour note this year. We lost our 15’s trophy and then things didn’t go so well in Hong Kong for us, so the guys are excited to go out there and basically redeem themselves. They are all up-beat and working hard on getting the best result in the tournament, so things are looking good for us,” Henry said.

WakeMed Soccer Park, venue for the NACRA Olympic Qualifier, is home to the North American Soccer League’s Carolina Railhawks.

The 150-acre complex in Cary, N.C., contains a 10,000-seat natural-grass stadium with two additional championship fields, and multiple practice fields on site.

The full slate of teams competing in the NACRA Sevens tournament, as well as ticketing information for the June 13-14 event, will be released in due course.

By Rawle Toney