Article contributed by Mr. Huw Davies who is involved with Luctonians RFC, the club Dan Woodside is playing for in England.


SAN DIEGO VIA TRINIDAD


In November 2006 I flew to Barbados with Dan Woodside our overseas flanker where he was representing his home country, the Bahamas, in the annual Caribbean Sevens Tournament. The Bahamas’ side was coached by Andrew Davies a former Luctonians’ player who also happens to be Number 2 son.

There were 16 countries participating in the two day event and Dan had an impressive tournament and was selected to play for the West Indies (the pick of all the Caribbean countries) in an International Sevens Tournament being held the following month in Trinidad.


Sadly I could not chaperone him on this occasion because I had run out of Brownie Points on the first trip and, more significantly had signed up for the Bucknell Barbarians’ jaunt to the the Bahamas in May.


Dan impressed for a second time and in January of this year was invited back to Trinidad to participate in a four day training camp to select the squad to represent the West Indies in the IRB World Sevens Series in San Diego on Feb. 11-12.


Dan had only been playing rugby for three years but his raw talent, fitness and enthusiasm saw him make the final cut and in doing so give a tremendous boost to Bahamian rugby to say nothing of the satisfaction that we in Luctonians should feel.
There is no doubt that Dan’s rugby and his understanding of the game has improved immeasurably since he joined us.

Follow up:

In Nassau there are only three sides and Dan was only getting one game every 4 or 5 weeks against the same opposition over and over again. With Lucs he trains twice each week and plays every Saturday broadening not only his rugby experience but exposing himself to the sophistication of such cultural hot spots as Dudley Kingswinford and Cinderford.


Donny Jaques our chairman has been employing Dan since he arrived last August and Onnie Stack has been providing him with luxurious accommodation in her pad in downtown Shobdon. Over the months Dan has made a shed load of friends and acquaintances and it is profoundly disconcerting for someone who has lived here for 24 years to go into a local hostelry with him where he is greeted from all sides but I am treated like some long forgotten fossil or even ignored.



At home Dan is a spear fisherman. I am not talking scuba tanks here but holding your breath to disappear under the gin clear, body warm waters of the Bahamas. The rewards are high but there is often some local competition from the sharks and I’m talking fins and teeth here not double glazing salesmen.


The West Indies’ squad consists of four players from Guyana, three from Trinidad, two from Barbados, two from Bermuda and Dan from the Bahamas, the first Bahamian to play at this prestigious level. One of the Barbados’ players is Kurt Johnson who plays on the wing for National League One side Coventry. He scored a try against London Welsh last weekend. Damn it! The West Indies are playing in Group A and the groupings are as follows:

Dan leaves on Monday for a training camp leading up to the weekend of the tournament and Number 2 son reliably informs me will be participating in combined training sessions with such luminaries as the Springboks and other countries anxious to help promote rugby in the smaller nations.


Dan has wisely decided to sit out today’s rugby and if you look around the clubhouse you might spot him. It’s not difficult, look for the hair, the flashing teeth and a tan the colour of Mike Bengry after a hard day at the office. Go up to him and wish him luck. But don’t buy him an alcoholic drink; next week he’s got some serious rugby to play.


For those of you wanting to know more about the San Diego tournament and see the results log on to
www.irbsevens.com. I expect there will also be coverage of some of the matches on SKY.


Huw Davies