National ruggers step up preparations

Oct 08, 2011 Sports

Coach Theodore Henry, who is spearheading NACRA champions Guyana’s preparations for the upcoming Pan Am Games to be held in Guadalajara, Mexico from October 14-30 speaking with Kaieteur Sport on Thursday afternoon during a training session, said that the team is now in the technical phase of the programme which should continue until they depart.
Henry, who will be replaced by Canada-based Head Coach Spencer Robinson when the team arrives in Mexico, disclosed that a major part of the fitness phase has been completed and the management is clearly satisfied with the physical condition of the team.

National Coach Theodore Henry leads by example during a training session recently. Behind him is national player Walter George.

He extended gratitude to Fitness Instructor Barrington Browne for the splendid job he did in getting the players to peak fitness, adding that this is perhaps the fittest team to leave these shores.
Usually tasked with the responsibility of whipping the squad into shape in the initial stage of preparations over the past year, Henry spoke of a few deficiencies within the team, but singled out protecting the ball on offense as one particular area of concern right now.
“We are generally good on defence, but protecting the ball when we have possession has been our Achilles heel for sometime now,” Henry revealed.
The overseas-based players according to Henry are expected in the country on October 10 and they will join the sessions immediately.
Questioned on whether there will be sufficient time for them to gel with the locally-based players, Henry responded by saying that all of them are core players and very experienced and should find no problem in synchronizing with the locals.
He lauded the efforts of the players who were not selected but continue to attend practice sessions, adding that it just shows the camaraderie within the players’ fraternity which he mentioned as being good.
The team is expected to leave on October 17 and will have at minimum 10 days to acclimatise and get adjusted, before the start of competition on October 29.
The other teams in the competition are Argentina, Mexico, Canada, USA, Chile, Brazil and Uruguay.
Argentine is seeded #1, while Guyana is positioned at #6 and plays its opening game against Uruguay.
The full squad is: Walter George – Yamaha Caribs, Richard Staglon – Trinidad & Tobago, Rupert Giles – Overseas (England), Ryan Gonsalves – Hornets, Claudius Butts – Yamaha Caribs, Kevin McKenzie – Overseas (Australia), Dominic Lespierre – Overseas (Australia), Vallon Adams – Yamaha Caribs, Dwayne Schroeder – GDF, Leon Greaves – Hornets, Ronald Mayers – Trinidad & Tobago and Breon Walks – GDF
The Reserves are: Troy Bascom – Hornets, Avery Corbin – GDF, Rickford Cummings – Hornets, Blaize Bailey – Hornets, Rondell Hudson – GDF, O’Neill Charles – Yamaha Caribs and Elwin Chase – Hornets.
Physiotherapist is Ariane Mangar.