By Emmerson Campbell
Captain of the local Sevens rugby team Ryan Gonsalves says that the Las Vegas tournament next month will allow the team to face elite competition as an essential warm-up ahead of the HSBC Sevens World Series in Hong Kong from March 23 to 25.
And noting that there has been a rise in team spirit following the recent funding by government which has made it possible to participate in the Las Vegas tournament, he emphasized that they will be very focused on the prize as they will be representing Guyana.
“I feel like on any day we can beat any team, we are a team that has been competing at a high level for the better part of a decade, Vegas should just be like another tournament to us and we will treat it like every tournament we enter, we will be very focused on the prize as we are going to represent Guyana at the end of the day.”
Gonsalves, in a very confident mode during a telephone interview with Stabroek Sport, also noted that he is privileged to be leading the regional ‘kings’ of rugby for their next tournament at the Las Vegas Invitational Sevens from February 9 to 11.
The Las Vegas tournament will serve as a warm-up ahead of the team’s participation at the HSBC Sevens World Series in Hong Kong from March 23 to 25.
The local ruggers earned a place at the HSBC Sevens World Series after they won their sixth consecutive North America Caribbean Rugby Association (NACRA) title last November in Barbados by demolishing the Cayman Islands by 29 points to nil.
Gonsalves was also the captain of that side.
During the interview the national captain highlighted that the team’s preparation has intensified and the team spirit has risen since they were funded by the Government of Guyana.
“The team’s preparation is going good now, especially since we learned that we will be getting an opportunity to go, thanks to the government and President Ramotar. Our training regimen has stepped up and we are training five days a week now from Tuesdays to Sundays so our preparation is good, our confidence is high in the entire squad.”
The team’s participation at the Las Vegas Invitational Sevens was made possible after President Ramotar on Friday last presented the GRFU with a cheque worth $5M.
Gonsalves said that the national team is currently working on their defensive and offensive structures and should arrive in Las Vegas as a “well oiled machine.”
“Right now we are (the national rugby Sevens team) just working on our structure, getting our defensive and offensives structures together. I’m sure we will do well in Vegas – we should arrive there as a well oiled machine as I mentioned before we will do ourselves and Guyana proud.”
Gonsalves also reiterated that the Las Vegas tournament will give the national team the required competition they need before Hong Kong, because of the elite competition the team will face.
“Going to Vegas would not alone give us a warm-up for Hong Kong, it will also give us an opportunity to face elite competition and also gel as a team.
It will be tough in Vegas because we will be competing against some top Sevens teams from around the world, but we are going to perform at our best like we always do.”
The team which will wing out for Las Vegas on February 6 will be made up of Gonsalves, vice captain, Elwin Chase, Theodore Henry, Claudius Butts, Valon Adams, Dwayne Schroeder, Rickford Cummings, Christopher Singh, UK-based Rupert Giles and the trio of Trinidad and Tobago-based players Ryan Hinckson, Richard Staglon and Ronald Mayers.
The reserves will be Walter George, Breon Walks, Avery Corbin and Rondell Hutson.
Henry, who is also the head coach, will be assisted by Shane Grant-Stewart. The team will be managed by Robin Roberts while the physiotherapist will be Barrington Browne.
