The local Rugby Union has hosted the first in its month long seven-a-side rugby matches last Saturday at the North Union playing field.
Two clubs featured in last weekend’s games and fielded both their A and B squads in the afternoon-long match-up.
Game one was contested by the Sharks’ B team vs the Leeward Invaders’ B team. Kevin Caine and Jashorn Primus were the two Sharks’ B team try scorers who netted their side 10 tries. Ajay Delpesche anchored the Leeward Invaders’ B team’s 30 tries with 2 of his own while Adrian Sam, Jay Edwards, Rod Laborde and Klyveert Browne each scored one.
A try, SVG Rubgy Union president and team coach Leonard Matthews explained, occurs when one player successfully maneuvers past all of the opposition’s players and places the ball on the ground over the goal line.
Wikipedia further explained, “in rugby union, a try is worth five points; in rugby league, four (except in Nines, where a try between the goal posts is worth 5).
The Sharks’ B team failed to register on the scoreboard in their second game with the Leeward Invaders’ B team. Ajay Delpesche again registered 2 tries added to Rod Laborde’s one to bring the Invaders B team’s score up to 15 points.
The A team match-up between the two clubs was much more keenly contested. By the time the final whistle sounded both teams retired with a 20-point draw.
Jonti Bowens scored 2 tries while Demitri Samuel and Dugal James both scored one each for the Leeward Invaders A squad.
For the Sharks’ A team: Kit Horne brought home 10 points and Raydon Williams and Dellon Durrant both scored 5 points each at the try line.
According to president Matthews these games are meant to help condition the players for upcoming international fixtures.
“These games gonna be preparing the youngsters for an U-18 competition that supposed to be taking place in Mexico on February 11, 2022 and it would also prepare them again for another U-19 tournament somewhere in the Caribbean – the date’s not scheduled as yet but somewhere in the Caribbean hopefully next year around July,” he said in this report
Locally, games will continue next Saturday at the Sion Hill playing field from 11:30 a.m.
Paul Kirby is a youth coach and forwards player with the SVG Rugby Union. He is excited about the prospects that, according to him, tends to open up for rugby players here.
He said: “we have about a 25 years history in St. Vincent and the Grenadines – a lot of people don’t know so right now we’re trying to push it more than we used to push it, because it’s a sport that opens a lot of opportunities for a lot of people.
“We are more inclined to running/athletics, football and what’s not but with rugby if you look at the statistics and you really observe us, we go out a lot more to play games. We are a part of an international body as well as the regional body – which is the sub-body to them that rules us.
“So, we play Jamaica, we play against Trinidad, we play against St. Lucia so it provides an opportunity for people to go out and to see the region while making a name for themselves and possibly playing for international teams.”
JP Schwmon