The national men’s rugby team is set for a big weekend as the senior Zandolis take on Jamaica in a Tier 3 Test match at the Francis Baba Lastic Grounds in Gros Islet.
This 15-a-side international match is part of the Rugby Americas North (RAN) Championship and starts at 5 p.m. on Saturday, May 30. Saint Lucia’s Academy team will also face Martinique Under-19.
“This coming weekend we have a lovely double clash with our senior men playing a Test match versus the Jamaica national team, and the younger guys in terms of our Under-19 playing against the Martinique Under-19,” explained Saint Lucia Rugby Football Union president, Imran Williams.
“The first one, of course, with the senior men, would be part of our international competition for RAN [Rugby Americas North], and the second one would be a friendly match.”
The senior match, pitting Saint Lucia against the Reggae Warriors, will be a crucial gauge for the health of the game locally. Saint Lucian rugby has shown signs of growth at the regional level, especially in men’s and women’s sevens.
The RAN Championship series is a crucial regional stepping stone for Caribbean teams. It serves as part of the qualification pathway to international competitions such as the Central American and Caribbean Games. As an International Test match, World Rugby ranking points are at stake in this interregional contest.
“We’ve been doing a fantastic job that would have started by my predecessor, Mr. [Roger] Butcher,” said Williams. “With the Technical Director that we brought on board, [Wayne] Pantor, simply put, we have a national Under-19 team now because of this very academy itself in terms of the fantastic work they would have done, and we’ve only built on it when the new executive came in.
“I’m satisfied but not happy, because I always want a lot more. What we’ve done, even leading up to the Under-19 game, for example, we’ve brought our youth players, especially, on two tours in Guadeloupe and Martinique.
“We had the largest contingent ever to travel for rugby purposes out of Saint Lucia, 50-something persons or so, which shows that the sport is growing, especially in terms of the number of players, and especially in terms of the younger players.”
Williams says one of the Union’s short-term goals is maintaining a viable junior team. He also hopes to see the senior men and women become more competitive at the RAN level. In July, the SLRFU will host teams from the Caribbean and North America for the annual Carnival Sevens, where increased cash prizes and stronger competition are anticipated.
(TF)
