It was an evening of intense rugby action at the Truman Bodden Sports Complex as the Cayman Big Game XII double-header delivered a competitive showcase.
The headline fixture of the event hosted on Saturday, 13 June, saw the Grant Thornton Cayman National Men’s XV face off against the Barbados National Men’s XV in the final match of the Rugby Americas North XV campaign.
The Cayman men, captained by Mike Luxton, secured a definitive 46-21 victory over their opponents in the match officiated by Mexico’s Fernando Garcia.
Luxton, described the game as “tough to say the least”, adding, “We knew that Barbados has some excellent players that they’ve brought into the squad. They’re battle-hardened from being on tour the last couple of weeks, so we knew that they were going to come here with confidence.”
With a tightly contested first half behind them, Luxton said the Cayman side went into halftime with the discussion focused on the team to keep calm and to remember that they knew that the blueprint was for them to come out and get on top.
“I think we executed some of our opportunities very well at the start of the second half and then it was just about trying to keep the foot down,” Luxton said.
Luxton admitted that unforced errors “gifted” Barbados some easy tries through the middle, but credited his side for the quick turnaround saying, “Soon as we rectified that, we knew we’d back our defensive systems, find the right areas of the field, and execute, which is what we did really well.”
Co-coach Conal Keane shared his excitement for the win, stating, “We’ve worked very hard over the last five to six months. To deliver that second-half performance when we were under real pressure – entering half-time down to 14 men with just a six-point advantage – and then to win the second half 19-0 was a serious performance and we are very proud.”
Looking ahead, Luxton mentioned that the team will take a few weeks off before regrouping to “see what next year looks like”.
“We’ve got some really exciting talent coming through and already in the system, so it’s about integrating them properly and seeing where we go,” Luxton added.
Women fall short to Jamaica
Following the men’s triumph, the energy shifted to the Women’s Invitational 10s Match, which saw Cayman Rugby face off against the Jamaica Rugby side.
The Cayman squad narrowly fell short of the victory in a 22-20 defeat against their neighboring counterparts.
Cayman’s women coach Jaz Gray said, “We are so thankful for every opportunity to play in front of a home crowd. Although we felt that we didn’t put on our best performance, we are excited to keep taking strides in the right direction.”
Despite the sting of the close loss, Mercedes Foy, Cayman women’s rugby manager, said, “While we were disappointed with the result, this is only the beginning of very special things for this team.
“This group brought together a fantastic blend of experience alongside many young Caymanians returning from overseas, creating an exciting glimpse into the future of Cayman rugby.”
The Cayman women are set to travel to face Bermuda in two weeks, with Gray saying, “[We] plan to be even better then.”
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