IN 2010, when the Central American and Caribbean Sports Organisation (CACSO) added Sevens Rugby to the list of disciplines for the Central American and Caribbean (CAC) games, Guyana won gold following their 31-7 win over Jamaica.

The CAC games rugby event was hosted at the Guyana National Stadium, and the ‘Green Machine’s’  victory was the only gold medal for Guyana at the CAC games in 2010, and was the first and still is the only gold medal for Guyana in a team event at the games which started in 1962.

Guyana did not participate in the 2014 Rugby championship, and now, eight years after creating history, the team, coached by Lawrence Adonis, will feature Ryan Gonsalves, Dwayne Schroder, Claudius Butts, Peabo Hamilton, Rondel McArthur, Godfrey Broomes, Osei McKenzie, Ronald Mayers, Patrick King, Richard Staglon, Avery Corbin and Jamal Angus.

“We’re getting there,” Adonis said in an interview with Chronicle Sport yesterday, when asked about the team’s readiness, as they open against Jamaica, Costa Rica and hosts Colombia on August 1.

“I think the weather wasn’t on our side and that kept us back a bit, because we didn’t have any ground to train on, but over the last couple of weeks, we were able to get some good work in and we will be ready by the time game day in Colombia,” Adonis said.

According to Adonis, arriving early in Barranquilla will give the Guyanese ‘ruggers’ a chance to acclimatise and work on some chemistry, given the fact three players (Butts, Staglon and Mayers) will be joining them in Panama.

“I believe the guys are really excited to get back in action. Remember we lost the 7s (Caribbean) title last year and the guys have a point to prove; so we’re looking forward to the CAC Games and hoping to bring back the title to Guyana,” the long-serving rugby coach noted.