Jamaica's Rugby Guru Jacob Thompson wins IRB Development Award


Jacob Thompson is the winner of this year’s Development Award. Thompson came home to Jamaica from England in the early 1970s and started a mission to bring Rugby to the island that continues to this day. Thanks to Thompson, Jamaica now counts the sport amongst its social fabric.


Thompson played for Jamaica, coached a number of local teams and was appointed Chief Organiser for Schoolboy Rugby, a position he has retained up to now.


He has been the Chairman of Jamaica Rugby Union since 1999, and was appointed Vice-President of West Indies Rugby Union from the period 2005-2007. In 2007 he was selected as an Executive Committee Member of WIRU.

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For his untiring and selfless efforts with US, Canadian and Bahamian Rugby, Mike Luke's achievements have been recognised as he receives the IRB Development Award for 2006.
Though not one of the glamour prizes (New Zealand's Richie McCaw took the big one), as far as we are concerned it is the most important, as it recognises his work in the area that is most crucial to us.


Mike has made an ongoing commitment to help Bahamas Rugby and we'll be seeing quite a lot of him through 2007, now its up to us to prove that we are equal to the task.

Mike's response:

Thanks a lot for your message of congratulations. It was a very grand, black tie affair in Glasgow (not really my style!), and a bit of a shock to find myself on the same stage as Ritchie McCaw, Graham Henry and Brian Lochore, from the current All Blacks squad in the UK!
There were some wonderfully nostalgic moments during the evening, and a chance to reminisce with former opponents, friends and colleagues from the past thirty-five years in the trenches, which is, I know, just where my place is in the game.

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