Bermuda cock-a-hoop about sevens prospects

Sport Staff

Published Sep 19, 2018 at 8:00 am (Updated Sep 19, 2018 at 12:23 am)

Much improved: the Bermuda 7s team that will compete in Barbados this weekend
Raring to go: the Bermuda women’s 7s team

The Bermuda Rugby Football Union has named the national men’s and women’s 7s teams to represent Bermuda in the Rugby America North 7s Tournament in Barbados this weekend.

The men’s team, who placed sixth overall last year, will face tough opposition in their pool play against Mexico, Turks & Caicos Islands and Guadeloupe. The team will once again be led by Waisale Serevi, the Fijian rugby 7s legend, who has coached the national team in RAN 7s for the past several years.

“It’s good to be back with the Bermuda team,” Serevi said of the upcoming tournament. “I have watched the boys progress over the last eight years and I have seen a lot of improvement, skill-wise, and in their understanding of the game.

“I watched them play in Denver and they played really well. In attack they were able to break high-level defensive lines several times. This is definitely the strongest team that we have ever had for Bermuda. This year, we have 12 very strong players, who will work together to deliver a good result.

“I believe that this will be a good year for us to have the opportunity to win the RAN tournament and qualify for the Hong Kong 7s. The boys have been training really hard and their fitness is good, so it’s all about just believing in ourselves come game time.

“The team has matured significantly this year and I am looking forward to watching them perform over the weekend.”

A mix of experience and skill in Barbados will represent Bermuda as four members of the team make their senior international debuts. Tadhg O’Shaughnessy, Stephan Smit, Alex Brown and Jamie Baum will all receive their first international caps when they take the field in Barbados.

The team, captained by Tashon Desilva, will have Corey Boyce, Aldo Campbell, Dan Cole, Alex Doyling, Tom Healy, Bertie Horsefield and Neville Zuill returning to the tournament.

After a tough tournament last year, the women’s team are looking to improve upon their result with the help of new coaching staff member Jamie Barnwell and Keith

Hodgkins. Pool play will see the women face off against Jamaica, Trinidad & Tobago, Bahamas and Curaçao.

The squad will look to their experienced players to make a statement on the pitch, while two youth players, Keonte White and Camille Chin-Gurret, will make their international debuts. Both have represented Bermuda on a youth international tour, but this will be their first senior appearance.

The squad will feature returning players Gillian Cross as captain, Mika Tomita, Deneka Borden, Amanda Swan, Karly Alleyne, Lauren Rothwell, Corrie Cross, Cerise Woodley and Lysmeiri Santana Suazo.

Of the upcoming tournament, coach Jamie Barnwell commented: “The RAN 7s competition periodically serves as the regional qualifying competition for the Rugby World Cup Sevens and Olympic Sevens. While qualifications for these tournaments are perhaps objectives for the future, the current playing squad comprises quality people who have worked incredibly hard in light of many setbacks.

“Those of us who are inspired to believe that ‘good people beget good things’ may see this as the reason why the Bermuda women’s rugby team have enjoyed some success in their recent warm-up preparations. As part of their preparations the team played twice against the Bermuda Under-19 men’s team last week.

“They performed well in both games, managing to win the first encounter and narrowly losing by four tries to three in the second game. The reality is that we all need to be inspired and motivated and many of the stories of these women will do just that.”

Barnwell looks forward to watching the women’s squad perform and grow as players. “Half of the team’s members are over the age of 30 and all but one other player is under the age of 20,” Barnwell said.

“Cerise Woodley and Lysemeiri Santana Suazo both attend Bermuda College as full-time students and manage the challenge of studying and playing sport at a high level. Corrie Cross is currently studying in Coventry, England, but has flown over for the summer to train and represent Bermuda with her mother, Gillian, who also happens to be captaining the team at this tournament at the age of 42.

“Keonte White, a 17-year-old student at Berkeley Institute, is also set to win her first international cap at the tournament. While success in today’s sport is often only viewed by many as what the scoreboard says, there are other key performance indicators that many will fail to see: individual and collective growth, development of character and continuous improvement to name a few.

“Every successful team, however you define success, has a point of difference. This teams outlook goes far beyond simple skill executions and tactical awareness and it incorporates everything about them as people. Better people, better athletes.”

BERMUDA SQUADS

Men: Jamie Baum, Corey Boyce, Alex Brown, Aldo Campbell, Dan Cole, Tashon Desilva (captain), Alex Doyling, Tom Healy, Bertie Horsefield, Tadhg

O’Shaughnessy, Stephan Smit, Neville Zuill. Coaches: Waisale Serevi, Jonathan Cassidy. Physio: Bruno Teixeira.

Women: Karly Alleyne, Deneka Borden, Camille Chin-Gurret, Corrie Cross, Gilian Cross (captain), Lauren Rothwell, Lysmeiri Santana Suazo, Amanda Swan, Mika Tomita, Keonte White, Cerise Woodley. Coaches: Jamie Barnwell, Keith Hodgkins. Physio: Bruno Teixeira.

• For more information on the BRFU and National 7s teams visit www.brfu.bm To watch a live stream of the RAN 7s matches, visit https://rugbyamericasnorth.com/events/ran7s/#1468082018517-ec390cfe-8069

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