UK rugby coaches in Tobago

PHIL GREENING and James Haskell, two members of the English Rugby Sevens team, are currently in the sister isle Tobago conducting extensive training sessions with the Tobago Rugby Football Club (TRFC). Greening is the captain of the England 7s team and also plays as a hooker at the London Wasps RFC while the 19-year-old Haskell, another member of the English and European rugby champs London Wasps, plays the role as a flanker. During their month-long stay in Tobago, both Greening and Haskell will be visiting secondary schools in the island with the aim of spotting new and untapped talent.

TRFC secretary Sherry-Ann Louis welcomed the visit of the English pair, especially as the club has been without a head coach since the promotion of David Wong to the post of president of the Trinidad and Tobago Rugby Football Union (TTRFU). “This is quite an achievement for such a young club. Tobago RFC now has to fully utilise the important services that these two men have to offer,” said Louis. Meanwhile Robert made a try in sudden-death extra time to guide Trinidad Northern to victory over 2003 champs Retro Reloaded in the final of the Northern Rugby Club’s Touch Rugby Tournament at the Queen’s Park Savannah last weekend. Both teams were locked at two apiece at the end of full time.

The day-long tournament was used by teams to prepare for the start of the 2004 local rugby season on July 3. Caribs squeezed past Northern 6-5 to claim the Over-35 title while Northern redeemed themselves to take the women’s crown. But Brian Lewis, honorary secretary of the TTRFU, expressed his displeasure with the absence of top local clubs Eastern Graduates, Defence Force, Police, Rainbow and Harvard. “One would imagine that, with the season about to start, teams should be able to participate in a six-a-side non-contact tournament,” he said. “These teams need to take a hard look at themselves. They are either serious about playing the game or not.”