Trinidad and Tobago’s men’s and women’s rugby teams claimed the third-place finish when the curtains came down on the Rugby Americas North (RAN) Sevens at the Larry Gomes Stadium in Malabar, Arima on Sunday.
Both, coincidentally, had convincing wins over Bermuda in their respective play-offs in front of an appreciative crowd.
Mere moments after the T&T men were expectedly hammered by Canada in a semifinal play-off 40-0, they returned to the pitch against Bermuda in the third-place clash, and Ruairi O’Farrell, who dominated the proceedings for the local team in a quarter-final clash with Mexico 19-5 the day before, was again at his very best to replicate his performance against the Bermudans, along with Jonathan Taylor.
In fact, Taylor led the way with a hat-trick of tries, with contributions from O’Farrell and Agboola Silvertorn, only for O’Farrell, the country’s designated conversion kicker, who left the field the day before with a near 100 per cent conversion record, to deliver twice on the day for their 29 points against the Bermudans.
They were much sharper after the Canadians delivered a lethal blow, which failed to demoralise them. TT’s vice-captain, Ruairi O’Farrel, in 2024, was also at his best, converting kicks in the country’s victory in the round of four against the Mexicans, before the home team was brought down to earth in the final 38-0.
With the result, the T&T men have earned a berth at the 2026 Centro Caribe Games to be held in Santo Domingo, Dominican Republic. Also at stake are coveted qualification spots: bracket winners in Men’s Tier 1 and Women’s advance to the global stage as part of World Rugby’s evolved HSBC SVNS model, while the top three Men’s Tier 1 teams (excluding Canada) and top two Women’s teams secure their place at the 2026 Centro Caribe Games to be held in Santo Domingo, Dominican Republic.
The country’s women’s team sealed their third-place finish with an equally convincing 27-0 triumph over their Bermudan counterparts.
They were led by a double try from Fayola Jack, who also sank a conversion in their winning effort. Later, the trio of Kalena Burke, Alyssa Fields and Chaneisha John also had tries.
Fields on the opening day accounted largely for the journey to yesterday’s third-place finish, with four tries to dispose of Guyana 39-0 and later Bermuda 29-0. However, the women in red, white and black missed out on a journey to Santo Domingo, as only the top two teams earned qualifying berths.
(Trinidad Guardian)
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