Saint Lucia’s rugby teams faced a tough weekend with two heavy defeats, but the matches gave them valuable experience against strong opponents, especially for the Academy team.
On Saturday night at the Francis Baba Lastic Playing Field in Gros Islet, the youth team lost 45-10 to Martinique in a friendly match, while the senior team fell 82-0 to Jamaica.
The senior team played a Rugby Americas North cross-tier Test match. In the youth game, Martinique brought their Under-19 team, and eight Saint Lucian players made their Under-20 debuts. Both matches were 15-a-side.
Despite the results, the Saint Lucia Rugby Football Union (SLRFU) said both teams fought hard and showed real progress, which highlights the success of Saint Lucia Rugby’s development programme.
“These emerging players gained invaluable experience competing at the senior international level, which is crucial for their progression and the continued evolution of the sport locally,” the SLRFU’s technical director, Wayne Pantor, said.
“While the result was tough, the performance of our young players shows the positive strides we are making in rugby development. We are investing in our youth, and these experiences will pave the way for stronger performances in the future,” said senior team head coach Wedrel St Clair.
The youth team is due to travel to Martinique on June 20 for a return engagement. The SLRFU says that the senior men’s team and the women’s sevens will also be in action against French teams, the latter in preparation for Carnival Sevens, which Saint Lucia will host starting 31 July, and the Rugby Americas North Regional Qualifiers in Trinidad & Tobago in November.
