TT ruggermen face Guyana today

Nero assured that Guyana would be seeking revenge after the TT squad defeated them 40 - 24, at the ‘08 NACRA Championships final in Cayman Islands.

He acknowledged the strength of Guyana’s team and stated, “Guyana are a tough team to beat. Their nucleus of their sevens squad also make up their 15’s squad. They are very fit, strong and fast.”

He was certain that the clash would be evenly contested by both teams. Nero added that the Calypso Warriors will also undergo medical tests and treatment to ensure the squad is up to par and fully ready to contest the Guyanese.

“Historically the two nations have a keen rugby rivalry going back to the 1920’s, and the MacGregor Cup. Our matches with Guyana are always tense, hard and physically high tempo encounters. Our youthful squad will receive a mental and physical examination on Saturday. But I am confident the players are ready for battle.”

Joseph Quashie is expected to bring another form of strength to the Trinidad and Tobago back-line since he has been the latest addition to national men’s rugby team and will be representing his country for the first time.

He was selected in a 23-man team to represent the Calypso Warriors after a training session on Wednesday.

A victory for defending champions TT, will see them automatically advance to the championship final. This will be played against the winner of the North Zone; Bermuda, Mexico or Cayman Islands.

On the other hand, Guyana coach, Theodore Henry has been focusing on fitness training. The Guyanese squad proves to be an enticing blend of both young and veteran players. These players have emerged from the country’s Youth Development Programme over the past four years. They have also been assisted by various skilled international players from the sevens championship team.

Henry revealed that his team is ready and focused on beating TT at home. Henry is determined that the players will give an impressive performance and go on to cop the 15’s trophy.

He stated, “We are going into the Lion’s den with one thought in mind. My players are ready to rumble. We want it (victory) bad. Our objective is to beat TT. We want the number one ranking (15’s) to add to our sevens rugby crown and number one ranking. The players understand they are representing the Guyanese people, our country and our flag. Our goal is to go all the way to the final and lift the crown.”

The Guyana Rugby Football Union (GRFU) national 15’s have been training tirelessly for the past month as they have recently came off the William Blackman 15’s Cup Competition.

Guyana are the five times Sevens Rugby Champions and Central American and Caribbean Games (CAC) gold medal winners. They also participated in the Las Vegas leg of the International Rugby Board World Seven Series in 2010. Guyana was also the Caribbean’s representative at the Commonwealth Games in Delhi, India.

In the current Caribbean 15’s Rugby rankings, Guyana are ranked second to TT, but have the extra edge on their recent form in the Sevens format.

Trinidad and Tobago - Samuel Roberts, Jason Joseph, John Hill, Rowell Gordon, Andrew Welch Junior, Miguel Lara, Jamal Clark, Andrew Crooks, Peter Bacchus, Jesse Richards, Graeme Alkins, Gordon Dalgliesh, Adam Frederick (captain), Wayne Kelly, Jonathan O’ Connor, Justin McLean, Carlton Felix, Aasan Lewis, Kelson Figaro, Don Rojas, James Phillip, Kendall Mootoo, Joseph Quashie