Trinidad and Tobago rugby men lose RAN Sevens final, but earn Junior Pan Am spot

TT’s men’s rugby team thrilled fans with their exciting play at the Larry Gomes Stadium, Malabar over the weekend, but the team eventually fell 38-0 to regional powerhouse Canada in the men’s tier one final at the Rugby Americas North (RAN) Sevens competition on November 24.

With the dominant win, Canada sealed their qualification for next year’s World Rugby HSBC Sevens Challenger Series. Meanwhile, TT’s second-place finish will now guarantee the men’s Under-20 team a place in the 2025 Junior Pan American Games.

On November 24, TT impressed with their early knockout performances, blowing away Caribbean rivals Barbados by a 29-0 margin in the quarterfinal, before getting an exciting 19-7 victory over Mexico in a keenly contested semi.

Against the Mexicans, TT went behind near the end of the first half when Nicholas Falcon broke free for a try to help the visitors take a 7-0 lead into the break. TT were in a rampant mood after the break, and Nigel Ballington got them on the scoresheet with a determined try, before the rapid Jonathan Taylor scored at the end of a surging run to give TT a 10-7 lead. With the subsequent kick conversion, TT held a 12-7 lead with a minute left.

The hosts had another big effort in them before the end of the match, and Ballington had his second try of the game after collecting a slick pass from captain Shakeel Dyte to make it 17-7. TT’s vice-captain Ruairi O’Farrel converted his kick to round off the scoring in the big win.

In the third-place playoff, Mexico went down again as they were beaten 12-0 by Jamaica who also qualified their Under-20 team to next year’s Pan Am Games – much to the delight of the TT crowd.

In the final, TT’s defence held firm for roughly five minutes, but the floodgates opened after Canada skipper Elias Hancock broke loose to get his first of two tries in the match. Canada went into the half with a 14-0 lead after the powerful Matthew Owuru eluded a defender with a shimmy before finishing a sweet move.

Cooper Coats extended Canada’s lead on the ten-minute mark, before Hancock got his second try as they opened up an unassailable 26-0 lead.

The relentless Canadian team showed no remorse against a tiring TT outfit, and Jack Shaw and Noah Bain scored tries in the final moments of the game to wrap up the massive win.

Despite the heavy loss in the final, TT Rugby Union (TTRU) president Maria Thomas was proud of the team’s efforts in the competition and is optimistic about what the future holds for TT rugby.

“It’s absolutely brilliant for us to have qualified for the Pan Am Games,” Thomas told Newsday.

“It’s definitely a challenge that the senior team qualifies the junior teams. We have so much depth in our junior programmes and we’re really grateful for the work the senior team have put in, but they have also blown open a door for the age grade Under-20s…”

Thomas was also excited about the growing women’s programme, which fielded two teams in the competition.

The TT women’s “A” team just missed out on Junior Pan Am qualification after placing third. The TT women drubbed Dominican Republic 29-0 in their third-place playoff, with TT’s “B” team getting a 22-5 win versus Barbados in the fifth-place playoff.

“We’re so proud of the work our teams have put in – the athletes, the technical teams and everyone who supports them,” Thomas said. “But we seldom get a chance to show everyone at home what we really do and how big rugby is and can be in TT.

“The performance from the women’s teams was absolutely incredible.”

The women’s final saw another battle between Jamaica and Mexico, with the latter getting a 17-12 win after putting on a spirited showing to get the clutch comeback result. Both teams sealed Junior Pan Am qualification.

The men’s tier two final was won by Dominican Republic who got a massive 22-0 win over Curacao. Dominican Republic will earn promotion for the tier one competition of the next RAN Sevens edition.

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