Last year was a good one for rugby

Jan 03, 2017 Sports, http://www.kaieteurnewsonline....-good-one-for-rugby/

By Rawle Welch
Even though the sport has not returned to the dizzying heights that it once enjoyed not so long ago, no one could dispute the fact that Rugby made significant strides last year.

Among the noteworthy achievements was the men’s return to the top of regional rugby after winning the Rugby Americas North Sevens title, dethroning nemesis Trinidad and Tobago in the process and earning qualification for the prestigious 2017 Hong Kong Sevens, while the re-emergence of the women’s team at the regional level was another bright spark for the year.
The present executive must come in for commendation, especially President Peter Green, who despite the many setbacks, including the consistent burden of procuring sponsorship for teams travelling to international competitions, never lost sight of promises made to return Guyana to the top of regional rugby in both segments (men and women) as well as having a strong developmental programme at the junior level.
Another important feature that stood out during the past year and one that had beset the Union even during some of its best years was the sense of dissatisfaction at the executive and players levels, but this feeling seemed to have disappeared to a large extent and both parties have since operated with a level of agreement and professionalism that is needed for continued success.
Green, who was elected to serve a second term of office, seems to have won the confidence of the sport’s stakeholders and this could be due to his unswerving commitment to ensuring that teams are rewarded for their hard work and sacrifice towards the sport.
He had made a pledge to vigorously pursue the resuscitation of women’s rugby which had been reduced to sporadic sightings for a couple of years despite our enviable success on the regional circuit.
This goal was achieved, while a similar undertaking to have a steady flow of replacements for aging players such as Theodore Henry, Claudius Butts, Richard Staglon, Ronald Mayers and Ryan Gonsalves, has started as well.
The new executive seems to be working in harmony and this is not to say that everything is perfect, especially when the constant problem remains financial viability, but gratefully the Union did not allow that to hinder its programmes or plans.
Green is considered by many as a tough-minded individual, who is not easily impressed by lip service, but someone who leads from the front and this might be the kind of characteristic that is needed to ensure that the sport continues to receive the kind of support that will allow it to achieve the sort of success that is usually associated with it.
This is a sport that has placed Guyana in a special bracket of sporting achievements at every level and this is despite the disappointing assistance it receives.
While the general review would give the sport and its management a passing grade, there must have been a few areas of concern and one that stands out immediately is the noticeable dearth of new players entering the women’s segment.
It is one of the areas that generally provide the Union with a headache, but according to reliable sources within the Body, the plan this year is to unfurl a strategy that could capture a new nucleus of players and broaden the base of clubs.
One could only hope that the strides made in the past year is maintained and even expanded which would then guarantee continued success at the local, regional and international levels.
Last year was a solid one for the sport, but could this year be one of glory for rugby.