No silverware but encouraging signs for Guyana’s rugby teams at RAN Sevens

Guyana’s national rugby teams concluded their 2025 Rugby Americas North (RAN)  Sevens Championships campaign at the Larry Gomes Stadium in Trinidad and Tobago on Sunday, showing encouraging signs of progress, particularly in the men’s tournament.

The tournament marked a significant milestone for the ‘Green Machine,’ as it was the men’s team’s first international outing under the guidance of newly appointed Head Coach Stephen Lewis.

It was also a landmark event for the women’s side, who returned to competitive regional sevens action for the first time in almost a decade.

The Guyanese men delivered one of their most impressive performances of the championships in the Plate Semi-final.

In a physical and competitive encounter, they edged out rivals Jamaica with a tense 14-12 victory.

This thrilling result propelled Guyana into the Plate Final (the match for sixth position overall). Here, they faced Mexico in a tight contest.

The men’s side fought bravely but ultimately suffered a narrow 12-7 defeat, finishing the tournament in a respectable sixth place overall.

They finished seventh in 2024.

Guyana’s women’s team endured a challenging return to the international stage after nearly 10 years away.

The day began with a heavy 43-0 loss to Jamaica.

However, the women’s team showed significant resilience, regrouping to secure a morale-boosting win in the Fifth-Place Playoff, defeating Barbados 14-7, marking a positive, triumphant end to their comeback tournament.

In the main cup competitions, Canada Men repeated their championship performance, dominating Barbados 31-0 to secure the title and qualify for the HSBC SVNS pathway.

The Women’s Championship saw a thrilling climax as Mexico Women defended their title against rivals Jamaica.

The Serpientes clinched the trophy for the second year running with a lethal strike on the final play, advancing them to the HSBC SVNS pathway as the RAN representatives.

The tournament also saw several teams secure their tickets to the 2026 Centro Caribe Games in the Dominican Republic, including Barbados Men, Bermuda Men, Jamaica Women, México Women, and Trinidad & Tobago Men.