GUYANA’S participation in the HSBC Hong Kong 7s series recently will give the unit a major boost ahead of the North American Caribbean Rugby Association (NACRA) Caribbean Championships and Olympic Qualifiers.So believes head coach of the unit Theodore Henry, who briefed the media last Friday. “I would say participating in Hong Kong this year. Every time we participate in tournaments above the NACRA standard, we tend to go into the NACRA tournaments and do pretty well.
“I think that is going to be a deciding factor in terms of our performance this year and that’s our side of the toughness and resilience of the guys.”
Henry said that after the Hong Kong 7s the technical director of the Guyana Rugby Football Union (GRFU) had identified some shortcomings, and they have been working to correct such.
“Kick-off reception is a big challenge for us because of the fact that most of our players are not 6-foot 4 (inches), like the U.S. and Canada and others that have the tall guys to return the kick but it’s something that we are addressing. We are going to be trying the mounted kick-off reception where one player gives another a boost in order to compete with the taller guys.”
Meanwhile, questions surrounding the absence of key player Kevin McKenzie surfaced but were put to rest after it was explained that he (McKenzie) could not get time off from his job in Australia to attend the tournament.
The head coach explained that the absence of the player does not mean that the team won’t perform. “One thing about this team is that we always have a solid core of 15 players. And when I say core 15, I mean that at any given time, we can put our hands into a bag and select 15 players and be happy with the 15 that come out.
We’ve been to many tournaments that we’ve played without key players. One player doesn’t truly define this team.” president of the GRFU, Peter Greene, said that his absence opens the door for others to step up. “That gives an opportunity to the young ones coming up to show what they are made of because Kevin has served Guyana rugby faithfully for years and he himself has said: When am I going to see someone called the next Kevin McKenzie? So let’s hope this NACRA round will answer that question.”
On the question of fitness, Henry confirmed that he is satisfied with the players who have always prided themselves on fitness and tactics, adding too that their confidence level in the camp is high. The team will departed this morning and will stop over in New York for practice games before heading to North Carolina for the tournament set for June 13-14.
Guyana’s team includes Richard Staglon as captain as well as Dwayne Schroeder, Vallon Adams, Claudius Butts, Patrick King, Ronald Mayers, Avery Corbin, Lancelot Adonis, Rickford Cummings, Ryan Gonzalves, Travis Bascom, and Peabo Hamilton. John Lewis is the manager of the team, Henry is the coach and Phillip Browne is the strength and conditioning specialist.
Guyana are drawn in Pool B alongside Canada, Trinidad and Tobago, the Cayman Islands and the Bahamas while the Pool B comprises Mexico, the United States, Barbados, Jamaica and St Vincent. The ruggers’ first game is against the Bahamas on May 13 at the Main Stadium.

By Stephan Sookram