Though his name may not sound intimidating, Claudius Butts' mere presence on the rugby field has been known to send a shiver down the spines of many a rugby football coach and their players throughout the region.


While fellow team-mate and close colleague, Theodore Henry, is viewed as a coach's dream for his versatility, Butts can be considered an opposing coach's nightmare.


In just seven years, this former national sprinter has managed to combine lightning quickness with determination and unmatched aggression.

The result is a deadly offensive weapon even against some of the best defence in the business.
Regional coaches will fear no more Butts' skill as his extraordinary talent will be on their side since he has been appointed captain of the West Indies Rugby Team which will compete in the 2008 Sevens World Series in San Diego, California next month.

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Guyana bids to host women's regional tournament; wants own ground and club house


The Guyana Rugby Football Union (GRFU) will shortly embark on a comprehensive four-year programme which will include bidding to host a major regional women's tournament, acquiring its own ground and administrative office and working towards qualifying for the 2009 World Cup Sevens championships in Dubai.


President of the GRFU, Noel Adonis, in an exclusive interview with Stabroek Sport, said that 2008 would be a hectic year for local players and officials which will get cracking as early as February when at least five local players named on a West Indies 12-man team travel to San Diego, United States of America (USA) for the International Rugby Board (IRB) World Seven Series.


The five players, Albert La Rose, Claudius Butts, Theodore Henry, Kevin McKenzie and Richard Staglon, were this week named to the regional team following their successful showing at the North American and West Indies Association (NAWIRA) Sevens championships in the Bahamas recently and subsequent trial sessions in Trinidad.


Two Guyanese players Ronald Mayers and Dane Park were also named as reserves. According to Adonis, the local body has submitted a bid to host the regional women's 15-a-side tournament in May 2008 and he noted that it would be a significant step towards the development of women's rugby in Guyana and the wider Caribbean region.

"We have put in a bid to host the regional women's tournament and it will be an achievement not only for rugby but also for women's sport in Guyana in general and a significant in the wider Caribbean region,"

Adonis said.

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English-born Bevon Armitage has been included in the West Indies Sevens Rugby Team for the Sevens World Series Tournament next year.


Armitage who plays for Esher in National League One, is a member of a well-known rugby family in England.

His brothers Deleon and Steffon play for London Irish in the Guinness Premier League while another sibling Guy is also on the books of London Irish.

Armitage whose mother Verna is Trinidadian declared his interest in playing for the twin-island republic earlier this year.


The West Indies Rugby Union (WIRU) announced a 12-member squad for the International Rugby Board’s Sevens World Series tournament which will be held February 9-10 next year in San Diego, California, United States. Players were selected following the NAWIRA Sevens tournament will enter a mini-camp in Trinidad and the Carib Beer Trinidad and Tobago sevens.


Team: Jeremico Cooper (Bahamas), Claudius Butts (Guyana), Kevin McKenzie, Richard Staglon, Theodore Henry, Albert La Rose, Andre Carbera (TT), Kelson Figaro, Bevon Armitage, Elroy Graham (Jamaica), Donald Walters, Kurt Johnson (Barbados)


Reserves: Giovanni Rolle (Bahamas), Ronald Mayers (Guyana), Dane Parks, Nicholas Pusey (Jamaica), Jason Clarke (TT).


Comment: If you're going international, why not pick his brothers, Delon (winger) and Steffon Armitage (Flanker) who are both first team players for London Irish. In fact, if you try hard enough, you could probably bypass the Caribben altogether. Ring any bells, Barbados..... - Ed


Source: Newsday, T&T

From Joe Wipple,

West Indies Head Coach/Chairman of Selectors


I am please to announce the Rugby West Indies squad for the USA Sevens tournament in San Diego in 2008.


The players competed for the 12 travelling and 5 non-travelling (reserve) spots in the NAWIRA 7s tournament in Nassau, the Trinidad mini camp and the Trinidad 7s. We had 22 players in our camp in Trinidad and every one of them gave a very good account of themselves. In some cases, experience prevailed over youth and in others the fitness of some was not quite up to the standard required for the next level.
I am confident that we will see all of these 22 compete for the West Indies in the future, provided they put forth the effort. We expect to compete in more tournaments this year and we will be looking at additional players for these tournaments. Our basic selection criteria remain: a good level of fitness, strong in the tackle, able to play the team pattern and demonstrating good ball handling skills.

I thank our selectors:
Noel Adonis (Guyana)

Victor Hyder (Jamaica)
Curtis Nero (Trinidad)

Dave Mays (Cayman)
Spenser Robinson (Technical Director)

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Thanks to Jennifer O'Neill for these photographs.


I've reduced the quality of the images considerably in order to present them here and these don't do Jen's photography justice. However, if you'd like a full quality ( 4.5MB ) copy of any of the pictures below, please contact me: ely@rugbybahamas.com, quoting the image ID number.


There are 150 pictures in total and I've put them in groups of 30, in chronological order of games throughout the two days. This is the fifth set.

DSC0297
DSC0303

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