‘FireSide Grill N Chill’ onboard Hairoun Beer 7s Rugby Tournament
Harvard Rugby Club will arrive in Guyana today ahead of Saturday’s showdown at the National Park, in the Guyana Rugby Football Union (GRFU)/Hairoun Beer Sevens tournament.
Claudius Butts, the lone Guyanese on the club, stated that the team has been in preparation for their trip to Guyana since last year, and as such, will be taking the tournament seriously, but at the same time coming to have fun.
Butts, a long-standing member Guyana’s Sevens and 15s National Rugby Teams, is one of the most recognizable figures in the sport and he highlighted his excitement of playing against his ‘Green Machine’ teammates.
Rawle Toney, GRFU’s Vice President (right) receives FireSide Grill N Chill’s sponsorship from Ms Deodat, at the entity’s Garnette Street location
The Winger named Wayne Kelly, Shaquille Dyte, Keston Earl and Nigel Barrington; all national players of Trinidad and Tobago, who will be making the journey with Harvard Rugby Club to compete against Pepsi Hornets, Yamaha Caribs, Guyana Police Falcons, Panthers and the Guyana Defence Force (GDF).
With $200,000 set as the winner’s purse, this will be the most lucrative rugby tournament ever held in Guyana, and Butts believes the attractive prize money will no doubt bring out the best in the players.
“This is a touring team and the guys have been putting in some work to come to Guyana and put on a good show. They will be taking this very serious and are coming here to win, but at the same time, we want to have fun, so it will be good for people to really come out and see some good rugby on Saturday,” Butts said.
Meanwhile, yesterday, the GRFU benefited from more corporate for the event, when ‘FireSide Grill N Chill’ handed over an undisclosed sum.
The entity, located on Garnette Street, Georgetown, known for their tantalizing and tasty grill food, noted that when approach, they were more than willing to help what they deem as one as the country’s most successful disciplines. This is their first time sponsoring Rugby and pointed it that it will not be their last.
Rawle Toney, the GRFU’s Vice President, upon receiving the sponsorship, thanked ‘FireSide Grill N Chill’ for their support, calling it a timely one.
The tournament will ‘scrum off’ at 11:00hrs and the team finishing second will receive $100,000 and the Most Valuable Player (MVP) will pocket $20,000.
