Rugby captain impressed with young players; eyes now on Mexico 2022

Guyana, a seven-time Rugby Americas North (RAN) Sevens champion, finished fifth overall at this year’s championship, which concluded over the weekend in Turks and Caicos.

Heading into the tournament, Head Coach Theodore Henry earmarked at least a fourth-place finish as a success, given they finished sixth in 2019.

Jamal Angus, Captain of Guyana’s Rugby Sevens team, the ‘Green Machine’, said he is extremely impressed with the output of the younger players in the squad as they looking to solidify their plans for the all-important RAN Championship in Mexico next February.

Applauding the output of Tyrese Prescod and Lionel Holder, Angus stated, “The performances of the youths were great, they really stepped up and show that they could perform at the level. This tournament was a stepping stone to the Mexico tournament, so we know what we have to change for the big stakes.”

Mexico is the host country for the next RAN Sevens Championship from February 11-13, 2022.

The tournament will involve a variety of categories. Both Seniors and Juniors will feature as will both Men’s and Women’s teams.

Moreover, the 2022 RAN Sevens will also serve as qualifiers for 2022 Central American and Caribbean Games in 2022, Rugby World Cup Sevens and the 2022 Commonwealth Games.

Only full World Rugby members will qualify for the aforementioned tournaments.

In order to achieve such success, Angus said they need to do more high-intensity work.

“We need to up our game intensity; we need more tournaments to simulate the level we would be playing in Mexico. It is difficult to do but we have to find some way to get our bodies playing at that level and that pace.”

The skipper said the Guyana Rugby Football Union is looking to get local tournaments, but indicated it is far from the same intensity.

Guyana started their campaign with a 36-5 win over Belize, but then lost 15-7 to Bermuda.

Moving in the medal aspect of the championship, they lost to eventual winners, Jamaica 24-0 and Barbados 26-5 before crushing the British Virgin Islands 43-0 in the fifth-place playoff.