Latest update April 23rd, 2024 12:59 AM
Feb 25, 2015 Sports
– First assignment is Guyana versus Barbados in NACRA 15s
Expressing his surprise at Guyana success on the Caribbean and North American circuits, recently appointed Technical Director of Guyana’s rugby, Angus Thomson speaking at a media briefing yesterday at
Olympic House, said he thinks the time has arrived for the ‘Green Machine’ to showcase its skills on the international stage and prove to the world that it belongs there.
Thomson, who was born in Guyana, before migrating to Scotland and currently living in Brisbane, Australia, said his primary focus is to build on the structure that already exists, therefore basically adding his vast expertise to improve and strengthen any areas of weakness that might be detected.
Guyana, the current NACRA 15s and 7s champions, winning both titles in the same year to achieve a feat that has never been done before by any Caribbean nation is in the midst of preparing to participate in the Hong Kong International Sevens Championship scheduled to be played from March 27-29.
Rugby has been one of the most dominant sport in terms of achievements in this South American nation with the Men’s team winning the NACRA 7s title a record six years in succession, while the Ladies captured the 7s championship three years on the trot.
Thomson, who disclosed that his first connect with Guyana’s rugby was five years ago when the Men’s 7s team was in Las Vegas, said because Guyana do not have a large number of clubs and a small cadre of players playing the game, he is really surprised at the undisputed success of the teams.
He said one of the things he is hoping to generate is a culture where players start to believe success does not stop at the regional level, but that it could be accomplished at the international level as well.
He, however, admitted that there are serious challenges to reach to that higher level, among them being the constant lack of funding to engage some of the top nations in the sport heading into international competitions.
The TD mentioned the fact that Guyana’s mobility up the world rankings has been severely hampered because too often it has to attend competitions without the comfort of adequate preparations against quality opponents.
This he attributed to the Guyana Rugby Football Union’s (GRFU) fight to garner funding to compete at major tournaments, much less warm-up games. GRFU Patron, Christopher “Kit” Nascimento in his remarks revealed the current state of affairs for the year, informing that the Union’s dilemma in terms of funding is even more difficult since it will have to find monies for both the 7s and 15s teams NACRA titles defence along with preparatory expenses.
Nascimento added that with a budget in the vicinity of US$100,000 if that is not secured then everything else is thrown in jeopardy. He urged the Government and Private Sector to continue their support for the ruggers, noting that the benefits of the exposure for the country at events such as the Hong Kong Sevens and Olympic Qualifiers are huge.
Nascimento pointed out that matches in those tournaments are usually played in front of thousands of spectators and viewed on television by millions across the globe and is a good medium to project the country’s tourism prospects.
President of the Union Peter Green told the gathering that the TD’s role is to improve Guyana’s chances of qualifying for the 2016 Olympics in Rio, Brazil. Green added that Thomson will also be working with the country’s Men’s 7s and 15s squads, as well as the Ladies programme which was recently revived. Meanwhile, it was announced that training will continue at the National Park as the squad prepares to face Barbados in a home game in the NACRA 15S Championship on March 7.
Training will be supervised by a team of technical staff, led by the TD and Head Coach/Player Theodore Henry from 16:00hrs each day. The squad for the Barbados game is expected to be selected on Monday, according to General Secretary of the GRFU Terrence Grant.
LISTEN HOW JAGDEO WILL MAKE ALL GUYANESE RICH!!!
Apr 23, 2024
Kaieteur Sports – Over the weekend, the prestigious Lusignan Golf Club played host to the highly anticipated AMCHAM Golf Tournament, drawing golf enthusiasts and professionals alike from across...Kaieteur News – Just recently, the PPC determined that it does not have the authority to vitiate a contract which was... more
By Sir Ronald Sanders Waterfalls Magazine – On April 10, the Permanent Council of the Organization of American States... more
Freedom of speech is our core value at Kaieteur News. If the letter/e-mail you sent was not published, and you believe that its contents were not libellous, let us know, please contact us by phone or email.
Feel free to send us your comments and/or criticisms.
Contact: 624-6456; 225-8452; 225-8458; 225-8463; 225-8465; 225-8473 or 225-8491.
Or by Email: [email protected] / [email protected]