Touring with Cayman Rugby
From CRFU
Along with the CRFU hosting both Mexico and the Bahamas for the 2016 World Cup Qualifiers, the Union was also able to accommodate and welcome to Cayman’s sunny shores, the USA men’s U21’s South which was a selection of youthful rugby talent from the Southern States. Unfortunately the Team was only here for a few short hours as they were here on a visiting cruise ship, so after a quick pick up from the cruise ship terminal, a one hours warm up session, USA U-21’s and Cayman U-21’s took to the field.
The game lived up to pre-match expectations, as it was both a physical and a fast flowing game in which the lead changed hands several times. As luck would have it or should I say true grit and determination of Cayman’s finest, the home team held on for a much deserved victory over their mightier neighbour from the North to the delight of the 1000+ spectators. And as always both teams enjoyed a few liquid refreshments along with some much needed nourishment. Unfortunately as the clock was ticking, the USA boys had to get back to their ship so with the traditional thank you speeches and swapping of plaques, Cayman said goodbye to what was probably one of the best games in years…..
Next up was a familiar face to Cayman shores. Bishop Shanahan High School from PA, USA. Last time their U19’s boy’s team visited it was prior to Hurricane Ivan in 2004. Needless to say BSHS saw a very different Cayman from times past but what wasn’t lost was the friendship established all those years ago. After four very hard fought games BSHS came very close to notching up their first win against their Cayman counterparts. Before they left John Ireland Asst Coach was already planning a return trip.
At the same time as BSHS, Cayman were also proud to host yet another Ivy League team. This time it was Dartmouth who followed in the steps of Brown, Yale, Harvard, and Stanford. Dartmouth managed to bring an A and B side so four thrilling games were in store for all those who ventured to watch. And as luck would have it the spoils were evenly split with two wins apiece. Ryan Milligan of Dartmouth was very pleased with all four games, training sessions run by CRFU’s legendary Richard ‘Grizz” Adams and the Club’s facilities. It was their pre-season warm up to the 2012 Ivy League season, which Dartmouth would eventually go on to win!!!
Lastly in April, Cayman were able to host a youth tournament for Key Biscayne who are located just South of Miami, Florida. Mainly comprising of Argentinian ex pats that live in Florida and despite only being 450 miles away, this was KB’s first time to Cayman. So we had U8’s, 10’s 12’s 14’s and 16’s. Over 80 kids in total!!! Along with the children came over 40 parents so after many liquid refreshments kindly provided by our clubs main sponsor, Heineken, it was determined that we had enough old farts between Cayman and KB to have an Oldies game. Not to take anything away from the kids tournament, all I can say is, it was interesting…now back to the kids.
Over the two days tournament is was great to see pure raw rugby skills flourishing from such young ages. Unusually for Cayman the Saturday proved to be a very wet affair. It rained all day and the kids loved it!!! The Sunday was a more typical Cayman sunny day and guess what, the kids loved it as well.
All teams who managed to stay here for a few day got a chance to visit the world famous Stingray City, Cayman’s number one tourist attraction. Some even managed to get in some diving and snorkeling or a trip on the Atlantis Submarine or even a helicopter trip with Cayman helicopters. Those who didn’t still enjoyed the hospitality of CRFU who provided all teams and visitors with an after game meal and liquid refreshments, plenty of banter and stories….
So if you’re a visitor to Cayman and you’ve found this article interesting and you think that you would be interested in bringing a team to Cayman to visit, either come down and visit our own fully serviced clubhouse and grounds and meet the members or just contact us at: http://www.caymanrugby.com/index.php/contact
and we would be delighted to assist in arranging hotel’s, airlines etc etc…………..
So far for 2013 we have Ashbury College from Canada and Princeton University and hopefully in September a Oldies team from South Africa and definitely not to be missed is the return of Knackerfest in mid November, already we have teams from Florida, Texas and Jamaica so dust of the boots and get over here……………..
For more on this story go to:
http://www.caymanrugby.com/index.php/touring
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Maple Leafs depart for Cayman Islands
By Adam Powell From island Sports News
November 7, 2013 (ISN) – The men’s and women’s Maple Leaf Squads have departed for the Cayman Islands en route to the 2013 NACRA tournament.
Ahead of their departure the men spent a few days in Toronto where they trained at Crescent school and had the opportunity to take in the Canada vs. New Zealand Maori game at BMO field. The opportunity for the team to get in some extra training and spend some time amongst teammates was one of great value.
“Training has been really exciting, getting to know all the guys, its been fun watching and learning from the guys on the team with years of experience,” said Theo Sauder, the youngest member of the men’s Maple Leafs squad.
“We’re really starting to come together as a team and it should be exciting to see us hit the field full stride in the Caymans,” said Sauder.
While in attendance for Sunday’s international friendly against the All Blacks the Maples Leafs were honored in front of North America’s largest ever rugby crowd.
“It was really cool to be recognized in front of such a large crowd. It would be great if every Canadian rugby game could be supported with enthusiasm like that,” said Sauder.
As the defending NACRA champions, there is quite a bit at stake and the need for a successful showing by the Maple Leafs is well understood.
“It’s really important for us to defend the title especially with the Olympics coming up in 2016, NACRA is one of the qualifying tournaments, so it’s really important for us continue our success in this tournament,” said Sauder.
As a young squad an opportunity such as the NACRA tournament can play a large role in their development. The coaching staff have done a great job at selecting a mix of youth and experience to ensure that while development is a priority, success is as well.
The women’s squad, captained by Jess Dovanne, have also been hard at work in Langford preparing for the upcoming tournament.
“What haven’t we been working on? Every day is a new day and we all push ourselves, and the girls next to us, to work harder than the day before. There has been a lot of focus on game sense and fitness,” said U20 captain Sara Kaljuvee, when asked about the focus of their preparation.
“We are very excited! The amount of hard work everyone puts in day in and day out is unbelievable and now we get to bring that to the world stage. Everyone is really excited to play in these games. We finally get to execute what we’ve been working on over the past couple of months,” said Kaljuvee.
The Maple Leaf program develops and feeds talent into the senior teams, just as the men’s coaching staff has done, the women’s team is a strong mix of youth and experience. Whenever there is such an abundance of youth maintaining focus is always a high priority
“I would say the positivity of our team unity keeps us focused because we know we can rely on one another. I know that every time we put that jersey on and step out onto the field we represent our country so for me that helps me focus because it is a great honour to wear the Maple Leaf,” said Kaljuvee.
A good coach is never satisfied, especially when coaching youthful and somewhat inexperienced athletes.
“For some this is our first time playing 7’s on the International stage. Our coaching staff has extensive knowledge which makes the learning process of our game plan, our roles, and responsibilities a lot easier,” explained Kaljuvee.
“Our game plan is one of the main aspects we’ve focused on. The veterans on the squad have been amazing leaders by ensuring we are all on the same page. This has really helped our young team prepare for this tournament,” said Kaljuvee.
Men’s Maple Leafs 2013 NACRA Schedule:
November 9 – Day 1
10:20 – Maple Leafs vs. Bahamas
13:50 – Maple Leafs vs. TCI
17:40 – Maple Leafs vs. Barbados
Men’s Maple Leafs Roster for NACRA Sevens
Name – (Club, CRC Team) Hometown, Province
Justin Douglas – (Abbotsford RFC) Abbotsford, BC
Lucas Hammond – (Toronto Nomads/Ontario Blues) Toronto – Captain
Pat Kay – (UVIC Vikes/BC Bears) Duncan, BC
Clayton Meeres – (James Bay AA/BC Bears) Chilliwack, BC
Pat Parfrey – (Swilers RFC/The Rock) St. Johns, NL
Jorden Sandover-Best – (UBC Thunderbirds/BC Bears) Vancouver
Theo Sauder – (St. George’s HS) Vancouver, BC
Jack Smith – (James Bay AA/Peterborough RFC) Peterborough, ON
Mike Scholz – (Castaway Wanderers/Ontario Blues) Oakville, ON
Jordan Wilson-Ross – (James Bay AA/Ontario Blues) Allison, ON
Nathan Yanagiya, (UVIC Vikes/Capilano RFC) Vancouver, BC
Adam Zaruba – (Capilano RFC/BC Bears) West Vancouver, BC
Men’s Maple Leafs Team Staff:
Shane Thompson – Head Coach
Danielle Mah – Physiotherapist
Abby Golenzoski – Strength and Conditioning Coach
Todd Silverthorn – Team Manager
Women’s Maple Leafs 2013 NACRA Schedule
November 9 – Day 1
09:00 – Maple Leafs vs. Cayman Islands
12:30 – Maple Leafs vs. TCI
16:20 – Maple Leafs vs. Mexico
Women’s Maple Leafs Roster for NACRA Sevens
Name – (Club) Hometown, Province
Emily Belchos (Markham Irish RFC) Barrie, ON
Nikki Case, (Yeoman Lions) Toronto, ON
Hannah Darling (Peterborough Pagans RFC/Shawnigan Lake School) Warsaw, ON
Jessica Dovanne, (Velox RFC) Victoria, BC – Captain
Arielle Dubissette-Borrice, (Toronto Scottish RFC) Toronto, ON – Vice-Captain
Paige Farries (Druid RFC) Red Deer, AB
Julia Greenshields, (Sarnia Saints) Sarnia, ON
Sara Kaljuvee (Toronto Scottish RFC) Pickering, ON
Nadia Popov (Aurora Barbarians) Newmarket, ON
Frederique Rajotte (Markam Irish RFC) Markham, ON
Women’s Maple Leafs Team Staff:
Sandro Fiorino – Head Coach
John Tait – Assistant Coach/Manager
Dana Agar-Newman – Strength and Conditioning Coach
Sandeep Nandhra – Athletic Therapist
For more on this story go to:
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Triple incentive for NACRA men’s Sevens rugby teams
From Boxscore
International Rugby Board: Nov. 8, 2013 – The 2013 North American and Caribbean Rugby Association (NACRA) Sevens takes place on 9-10 November at the Truman Bodden National Stadium in the Cayman Islands, affording all 12 men’s teams a golden opportunity.
For the region’s powerhouse nations, USA and Canada, the tournament offers a chance to blood new players and broaden the countries’ player base ahead of the second and third rounds of the HSBC Sevens World Series in Dubai and South Africa later in November.
“Training has been really exciting, getting to know all the guys. It’s been fun watching and learning from the guys on the team with years of experience,” said Theo Sauder, the youngest member of Canada’s squad. “We’re really starting to come together as a team and it should be exciting to see us hit the field full stride in the Caymans.”
Canada will start in the Caymans as defending NACRA champions and face Barbados, Bahamas and Turks & Caicos in the pool stages. USA, meanwhile, face group games against Trinidad & Tobago, Cayman and Curacao while Mexico line up with Jamaica, Bermuda and British Virgin Islands in Pool C.
Hong Kong beckons
While USA and Canada are certainly expected to contest the final, for the other sides there is a triple incentive to perform well.
Most significantly, the two highest-ranked sides outside USA and Canada will book places to compete in Hong Kong at round seven of the World Series, the Cathay Pacific / HSBC Hong Kong Sevens. There they will compete in a 12-team qualifying competition to be played alongside the main Series event, with the winner booking automatic promotion to core team status on the 2014/15 HSBC Sevens World Series.
As well as the World Series incentive, the tournament doubles as a qualifier for the 2014 CACSO Games in Veracruz, Mexico. The top four men’s Caribbean teams will join hosts Mexico, while the top three Women’s teams plus Mexico, will compete in 2014.
In addition, the top men’s Commonwealth team at the NACRA Sevens is likely to be invited to participate in the 2014 Commonwealth Games in Glasgow, along with Canada.
PHOTO: Jamaica will be looking to book their place in Hong Kong again, having played there in 2013 (photo courtesy IRB).
For more on this story go to:
http://boxscorenews.com/triple-incentive-for-nacra-mens-sevens-rugby-teams-p67525-68.htm
