Butts, King to represent Guyana on WI rugby squad

By Treiston Joseph

Two of Guyana top ruggers, Claudius Butts and Patrick King, have been selected for the West Indies rugby team that will play in the Las Vegas Invitational 7’s starting on today (March 2). 

The West Indies team, which went dormant in 2009, was resuscitated last year with the focal point of giving the Caribbean a competitive unit on the world stage. Butts, who was the last captain in 2009, has been renamed captain for the tournament in Las Vegas. 

King is touted as the fastest winger in the Caribbean and shared with News Room Sport his thoughts on the being part of the team. 

“Well, it’s a great opportunity for the guys from the region to showcase their talent and make the best out of it… Me being on the team I feel great and for the past couple of days working with this group of guys have been great,  just looking to start the tournament on a good note and work hard as a team to progress,” King shared. 

King also noted his main intention as part of the team, “I’m looking to go out and do my best,  establishing myself as a permanent player in the team and proving why I’ve been selected.” 

The West Indies have been placed in the group with North East Stars and Hawaii. The tournament will have a mixture of countries and clubs from the USA with teams such as Germany and Cayman Islands being confirmed.  The West Indies will play from 09:00h (13:00h Guyana time) in Las Vegas.