Latest update May 27th, 2026 12:07 AM
Jun 20, 2009 Sports

Guyana and West Indies Rugby Captain Claudius Butts seen during a sprint phase last Thursday afternoon at the National Park.
Speedy winger and West Indies Rugby team Captain Claudius Butts told Kaieteur Sport last Thursday afternoon during a training session at the National Park that he is rounding into full fitness in preparation for the upcoming tour to Canada.
The WI Team has been invited for the first time to participate in the Abbotsford International Sevens Tournament which is scheduled to be played in Greater Vancouver, British Columbia, Canada from July 19-26.
Butts said that at this point he has been following the programme ordered by Coach Joe Whipple, adding that even though they are basically doing things on their own, it is expected that they reach peak fitness ahead of the tour.
“Basically everything is on stream in terms of following the West Indies regimen, coming back from the Hong Kong Sevens Tournament I was at a high level of fitness and I feel there is where I am right now,” Butts related.
He informed that with the team anticipated to leave around July 18, it leaves him with approximately four weeks to continue his preparations and felt optimistic that he would achieve the required level to compete on the international scene.
With no encampment organised except for warm-up matches against Kenya in Canada, Butts informed, Coach Whipple is expecting the individual players to fully prepare themselves for the competition.
Butts was seen going through his paces, sprinting between cones set up at strategic points, a drill similar to what he does during a normal game.
Asked whether he thinks the WI Selection stand a chance against opposing teams such as Kenya and host Canada, Butts responded by saying that at the international level anyone is beatable on a given day.
“I think what we have to do is to avoid making mistakes at crucial moments and everything will be alright. We did demonstrate in the last tournament that we’re as good as any one of the other teams, but the difference came when we needed to score in critical situations.”
Meanwhile, two other Guyanese players have also been selected on the squad preparing for the event and they are Albert La Rose and Richard Staglon.
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