The Cayman Islands national men’s rugby team dominated the Guyana Rugby Football Union on 26 April at the Rugby Americas North tournament in Georgetown, Guyana.
Jamie Barnwell, Cayman Rugby head coach, told the Compass that, fundamentally, Cayman’s delivery against Guyana was “a team performance”.
He added, “The biggest point of difference was the Cayman team just played much, much quicker.”
Cayman set the tone of the match quickly, as Bryce Doran scored a try in the ninth minute.
Co-captains Richard Hooper and David Stringer also made it on the score sheet for Cayman with tries of their own. Adding to the numbers were James Priaulx, Zach Brooks, Freddie Robson and Michael Wilson.
Alex Claybourn contributed significantly to Cayman’s final sheet with five conversions and one penalty, making him the top scorer of the match with 13 points.
Barnwell said it was quite hot in Guyana but, “The atmosphere was great”.
Although Cayman was able to bring the victory home, Barnwell said the team is currently a “40-minute team”, adding, “We have to find ways to make sure we can get into being much closer to a 60- or 80-minute team.”
He said, “Improving our connectedness across the squad, and then also just improving our fitness and proving our durability throughout the game” are the ways they’re working on strengthening the team’s overall performance.
The camaraderie, connectedness and togetherness of the team is something Barnwell says he loves about them, adding that it “says a lot about them as a people”.
He said, “It’s really pleasing to see” that the team is building in the right direction.
Each season, Cayman’s national men’s team competes in the Rugby Americas North tournament between February and June. The men’s squad, along with the national women’s team, will compete in a doubleheader against Bermuda on 13 June at Truman Bodden Sports Complex.
