Jamaican rugby embarks on robust plan for future

Aug 08, 2010 Sports

An enthusiastic and upbeat bunch of Jamaican rugby players returned to the island recently following their encouraging performance at both the CAC Games and the NACRA Sevens competitions in Guyana where the men’s team finished runners-up in both tournaments to hosts and reigning Caribbean champions Guyana.
Overall, Jamaica finished second in men’s play, while the women, who were returning to active competition for the first time in three years, finished third.
The performance of both the men’s and women’s teams, has started a dream that “Jamaica wants to be world-class and to be at the Olympic Games in Rio in 2016”.
Inspired by the recent achievements, the local Jamaica Rugby Union (JRU) is presently laying plans to prepare the teams for more regular international participation in both the 15s and Sevens versions of the sport.
Following on Guyana’s good showing, the Jamaica women rugby team will continue their quest for further regional conquests when they head for the Bahamas next week for the NACRA Women Tournament to be part of a Caribbean Selects 15s Team.
“The Jamaica Women team along with coach O’Mally (Conroy) have been invited to the Bahamas next week to be part of what is called a Caribbean Selects 15s team tournament,” said JRU CEO Ann Shirley.
“In cricket you have Test Cricket, Twenty/20 and the One-Day Internationals. We have Sevens which is the shorter version of the game and the one that is going to be played in the Olympics and we have 15s which is the bigger, longer version,” she explained.
Jamaica will also have three referees attending the tournament, headed by top referee Aaron Christie. The other two are Juliet Rowe and Kevin Johnson.
“The men are going to get ready because we have the 15s for the men which should be in October or November. So they are starting to get ready. Slight shift in focus from the Sevens and then what we are going to be doing is to devise a programme to keep this group of players together and to give it international exposure,” said Shirley, outlining some of the immediate plans for the programme.
Funding, however, continues to ne a major stumbling block. “It is the biggest issue right now. Part of the thing is that we are putting a marketing plan together and the plan is not just for one trip,” she said.
“The idea is that we are looking at the Olympics in 2016 so we are setting a six-year plan with the goal for Jamaica male and female teams to be in the Olympic Games… we are trying to develop a comprehensive plan that takes in fitness, training, nutrition and medical situations; some of the players are unemployed and we will be looking at that need,” noted Shirley.

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