By Kiev Chesney

With 13 years of rugby already under his belt, the newest addition to the Guyana under-19 rugby squad, Rupert Giles, will certainly be an asset to Guyana’s team at next month’s North American and West Indian Rugby Association (NAWIRA) International Rugby Board (IRB) Junior World Trophy qualifiers in Barbados.

Just hours after setting foot in Guyana for the first time, Giles rushed to the National Park rugby field to begin preparing for the regional tournament with his new teammates.

Although the weather to him was extremely hot and his body had not gotten accustomed to it as yet, the 17-year-old toughened-up and endured the gruelling practice session under coach Laurence Adonis.

After practice Giles told Stabroek Sport: The practice was tough and I got a bit sick about half way through, and my hands were sweating a lot, but I pulled it together and I was able to go the distance.”

He added: “I think that after I get time to adapt to the heat, I will be able [to] cope just fine.”

Giles, who started playing the sport at the age of four, currently plays winger for Hartpury Rugby Academy’s 15’s as well as their seven’s squads.

Upon seeing the youngster display his skills on the field, Adonis had other ideas and switched the winger to the fullback position which he played for the majority of the practice session yesterday.

When asked about the change Giles said, “Initially it was difficult for me to learn the lines and fully understand where to run for this position [fullback], but after a while I got it and it was no problem for me.”

Adonis told Stabroek Sport that the rationale behind the change was because the team’s fullback- Lance Adonis – is currently nursing an ankle injury.

“I realized that I could try him out in that position because he has experience and he knows how to handle different situations and that is very important because we have a very young team,” he said.

Adonis added: “ We will be looking to see how the injured players progress but one thing for sure is that we welcome all the talent and experience that this youngster will have to offer us next month in Barbados.”

After just one practice session Adonis said that he was impressed with the experience exhibited by Giles and that although some of the front running candidates to lead the team would be Adonis and Quincy Jones, Giles certainly has an important role to play in the team.

Giles mentioned that he had noticed that the game-play is a bit slower than back home in the England, but added: “At the end of the day it is the same game and I’m just glad to be here and I can see that you’ve got a good group of lads, they have good skills and they are friendly.”