West Indian Rugby Union’s two development teams dominated the Carib International Rugby Sevens over the weekend in Trinidad and Tobago.
According to a release, the Rugby West Indies 1 team played unbeaten in the tournament defeating Rugby West Indies 2, 31-19, in a closely contested Cup Final, both teams displaying entertaining and imaginative rugby.
The West Indies Rugby Union (WIRU) entered the two development teams in the annual International Invitational tournament in preparation for the International Rugby Board’s Sevens World Series in San Diego, USA, in February next year.
According to the release, the WIRU teams, with players selected from 10 West Indies National Unions, was supported and jointly-sponsored by Butterfield Bank, Cayman Islands, Conyers, Dill and Pearman, Bermuda, and the Guyana Telephone and Telegraph Co. Ltd.
The teams’ uniforms have been provided by Samurai.
On the first day of competition, Rugby West Indies 1 came through unscathed, disposing of Martinique, the CRUM from Venezuela and Rainbow from Trinidad and Tobago.
However, Rugby West Indies 2 went down 0-26 to the US-based Australians, Rogue Wolves, who were early tournament fav-ourites,but came back to place second in their pool, handily winning their remaining games.
Competing in the Cup round on the second day of the tournament, Rugby West Indies 2, coached by Technical Director, Spencer Robinson of Canadian and Guyanese origins, came back strongly to defeat Rogue Wolves 29-7 in the semi-final while Rugby West Indies 1, directed by Head Coach, Joe Whipple of Barbados, defeated the US Atlantis team 12-7 to set up the final between the two WIRU Teams, the release stated.
West Indies Selectors, chaired by Head Coach Joe Whipple, and including Noel Adonis (Guyana), Jonathan Cassidy (Bermuda), Spencer Robinson (Guyana/Canada), David Mays (Cayman), Victor Hyde (Jamaica), will pick a 12-man team with four reserves to participate in a training camp in Barbados in January prior to leaving for the Sevens World Series in San Diego.
