The Green Machine recently competed in the Rugby Americas North 7s championships and copped 5th place out of a total of nine teams.
GRFU President Ryan Dey is thankful to the sponsors that made the trip possible, and is adamant that more games domestically and regionally would help the Green Machine to be back on track.
GRFU President Ryan Dey
In an interview with Guyana Times Sport, Dey related that for the first time ever, the local contingent was unable to play competitive rugby for a period of close to two years – basically due to the COVID-19 pandemic, which prohibited full contact sports from being played, causing the Green Machine to be at a standstill for that period.
“I think it was the first time for most of the guys (to be) not playing competitive rugby in close to two years. For us, well it’s back to the drawing board, continue trying to get better, because we have a Super Sevens tournament coming up in February in Mexico. In terms of the positives that we have gathered from the competition, I think that it is that we can still play and compete at a high level with the best teams in the Caribbean. It was a good experience for the new guys, and I think (that) by the showing of our last game, we are on the right path.”
Dey also said that although the team had had to train in such a short period, it is his belief that their performance did not have to do with the training time, but with the conditions they had to endure by not having the permission from the Task Force to engage in contact sport, hence it hindered them a lot.
He relayed that in the future, for the team to perform better, their being involved in a lot more games, both domestically and regionally, would be beneficial.
Further, Dey adverted that, on behalf of the GRFU, he is extremely grateful to the Minister of Culture, Youth and Sport, the Hon Charles Ramson Jr; Director of Sport, Steve Ninvalle; the Guyana Olympic Association and Damen Shipyards for making their journey possible.
“To the potential sponsors, if you’re looking for a team to take your brand to the farthest reaches of the Earth, you should invest in the Green Machine; you won’t regret it,” GRFU President Ryan Dey has said.
