The national women’s, men’s and girls’ rugby teams recently proved that all their diligent training is paying off after all earned victories against international opposition.
The Cayman Islands women’s national rugby team began the action, leaving it all out there on their home pitch when they faced the Toronto Nomads on Thursday, 27 March.
It was the first time in 18 months that Cayman’s national women’s squad welcomed a visiting team, and the much-anticipated game ended in the locals’ favour, winning 41-27 after valiant efforts by both teams.
Mercedes Foy, Cayman women’s rugby manager, told the Compass after her team defended home soil in front of enthusiastic fans at the Sound South Rugby Club, that the win is a credit to the support from the community and the hard work by her players.
“To see these women turning up, playing, putting their bodies on the line for Cayman rugby, for their country … is just amazing,” Foy said. “Hearing that ‘Cayman, Cayman’ chant, just pushed the girls to victory.”
The game wasn’t just about the competition, though; it also had to do with the development of the sport on the women’s side, something Foy has spearheaded for the last four years.
“Since 2021, it was just a dream for so many people in this club to revitalise girls’ and women’s rugby after it being missing for so many years,” Foy said. “At that stage, our programme had zero players; we’ve gone to now over 100 players … this really is just the beginning.”
The following day, a Cayman select men’s team kept the wins rolling with a 38-17 victory over the Toronto Nomads.
School girls trying in Florida
But the action didn’t stop there. Three of Cayman’s junior girls’ teams travelled to Miami for the second annual Coconut Cup against Florida select teams on the weekend of 29 March, while also getting the opportunity to tour the host St. Thomas University’s campus and learn about academic programmes and student-athlete scholarships.
The Cayman group totalled 57 girls, divided into one under-14 and two under-18 teams.
The U14 girls began competition with a narrow 21-27 loss against a bigger and more-experienced Florida team.
The U18 development FIREE (Females In Rugby Empowered & Educated) team, which comprises girls from government schools, including nine students from Cayman Brac, recorded a 20-10 win.
Cayman ended the tournament on a high, with the under-18 national girls winning 38-32 in a thrilling game.
Women’s rugby is looking for more recruits to continue its girls programme. In addition, Cayman Rugby has several major games scheduled for later this year, beginning with a men’s game against Guyana on 26 April.
