Jamaica's youth rugby team returned home yesterday as Champions of the Caribbean, despite the fact that the team finished runners-up to the USA in the North America and West Indies Rugby Association (NAWIRA) Under-19 Championship in Guyana.


The young Jamaicans emerged winners for the West Indies Youth championship title, ahead of previous champions Guyana, by virtue of their 19-5 trouncing of Trinidad and Tobago in their final game.


Held in the number three spot in the Caribbean for years, Jamaica now hold the enviable number one spots in the men's 15-a-side and Sevens rugby in the region.
Such improvement, noted Sgt Jacob Thompson, chairman of the Jamaica Rugby Union (JRU), will improve the country's status internationally.

"It means a lot to Jamaica Rugby," Thompson told the Observer yesterday, regarding their new status in the Caribbean. "For instance, The International Rugby Board (IRB) will give us more funding, because they realise we are doing what they want us to do in the region."

Follow up:

Jamaica defeated all their competitors, except for the United States of America, in the six-nation tournament, but Thompson fired a warning shot at the more advanced Americans, who mauled them 45-3 in their encounter.

"(The United States) has all the resources, all the funds and everything. But we want to say to the United States, 'look out, we are coming'," said Thompson. "If we can get the proper resources, then we can be number one around the world, just like how Fiji is the number one in Sevens (rugby)."

Coach of the Under-19s, Victor Hyde, stated that the youngsters delivered as he expected against some "tough" opponents, but believes the team lost the plot psychologically when they played the North American country.

"The performance of the team did not surprise me, because we have been training from February, and knowing some of the players during the school competitions, they have been doing tremendously well. So I knew they would have done well

," the coach beamed.


With regard to the USA match, Hyde told the Observer that the officiating was poor, but would "prefer not to elaborate", as they revel in the glory of being crowned 2006 Caribbean champions.


In the meantime, 11 players from the Under-19 team will be travelling to the United States this Thursday, where they will join the national senior side, which will be competing in the Sevens competition in Rhode Island.


On the weekend, the senior male and female teams won their respective plate finals in the New Jersey Sevens Rugby.
After a "successful year for Rugby", added Thompson, the nation will now turn their attention to hosting the women's play-offs in September for the women's Caribbean Championships.


Source: Andrew Hancel, Jamaica Observer



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