PRESIDENT of the Guyana Rugby Football Union (GRFU) Ryan Gonsalves says it was another case of missed chances, but he is still confident the team has what it takes; they just need to execute.
The GRFU boss was reflecting on his side’s 21-3 loss to the Barbados unit in the ‘away’ fixture of their Rugby America’s North (RAN) fixture.
“We all are disappointed from the loss on Saturday, but the game was closer than it looked. We were 11-3 into the 70th minute. We had two yellow cards in the first half that really set us back. But the guys held their end and the defence was solid. If we had taken our opportunities and completed our attacks and scored, we had five clear opportunities to score. It would have been a different game.”
He said while they had some hard calls, they could have taken the game out of the hands of the referees by scoring their tries.
The GRFU boss believes that not all is lost as they can improve and bounce back.
“Once this game is confirmed for Trinidad on the 28th, we are going to be ready and then straight into our 7s season. We are looking to do really well in RAN’s this year, so our preparation for RAN is going to start on the first of July, so we are going to have a lot of clubs 7s Rugby going on, and the squad is going to be called early so they can start training.”
The former national captain turned administrator is asking for patience with the team as they seek to learn on the job and steadily move from strength to strength.
In the 15s clash over the weekend, the ‘Green Machine,’ was soundly beaten, 21-3 in their Rugby America’s North Championship match-up played in Garrison Savannah, Barbados.
Guyana scored first with a penalty five minutes into the contest, earning them 3 points.
Barbados’ Nicholas Daniel scored a try in the 19th minute to make it 5-3 as they overtook Guyana’s advantage.
D’Andre Phillips failed to convert Daniel’s try as Barbados led, 5-3.
Phillips would go on to register a penalty, making it 8-3, before missing out on converting another penalty.
In the 68 minutes, Philips would come back to convert another penalty to make it 11-3.
Barbados’ Sean Ward also recorded a try, making it 16-3 before Daniel Ramsey’s try, converted by Philips which finished the ‘Green Machine’ off 21-3.
It was Guyana’s second loss in their campaign after opening the season with a loss to Bermuda at home.
The team is powered by Brava Guyana, but GRFU is calling for more support for the national team as they seek to get back on top in the region.