The Cayman Islands men’s under-19 and women’s rugby teams are set to compete in the 2022 Rugby Americas North Men’s Under-19 and Women’s 12s tournament in Kingston, Jamaica.
In preparation for the tournament. which will run through 14-17 July at the University of the West Indies Mona Campus, the teams have been playing against each other in friendly matches at the South Sound Rugby Club.
“We thought it was beneficial for both teams to have different oppositions running against them,” Mercedes Foy, women’s team manager, told the Cayman Compass.
Foy said her team, which played during the RAN Sevens Qualifier in April, has been preparing on and off the field for the past eight weeks.
“This 12-a-side is the first 12-a-side in the region that we are taking part in and is really going to suit the personnel that we have,” she said. “We’ve got strong, powerful, physical players and we have a game plan that is really going to have us step up during the tournament.”
The Cayman women’s squad will take on Jamaica, USA South, St Lucia and the Dominican Republic, while the U19s will face off against Trinidad and Tobago, Mexico, USA South and Bermuda.
Unlike the women, who competed internationally earlier this year, the U19s has been absent from international competition since 2019, due to COVID-19 regulations.
When asked about Cayman’s chances of finishing the tournament on top, Edward Westin, rugby youth development manager, said he cannot overlook some of the more challenging teams.
“It’s pretty hard to gauge, because there hasn’t been a competition for several years,” Westin said. “Traditionally, there is a couple of strong sides, like Mexico. We are expecting the first game against Mexico to be quite tough and physical. From there, I think we should do quite well and should be able to compete with the rest of the teams.”
The U19 team will depart Cayman tomorrow, 13 July, and the women will leave on Thursday, 14 July.
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