As the Green Machine prepare to depart Guyana for the Americas Rugby Challenge Series 2018, the Guyana Rugby Football Union (GRFU) has revealed a 26-member contingent that will represent the nation in Colombia.
“Green Machine” members during a practice session at the Parade Ground
The competition, which will pit Guyana against the likes of Mexico, Paraguay and Colombia, is expected to get underway on August 26 with Guyana’s first match-up against the powerhouse hosts.
Noting that the players have worked tirelessly during the selection process, Manager Earle Edghill said they have selected the best team possible.
“We had over 40 young men who were working hard to be selected. The team was shortlisted four or five times trying to get the best persons to get the job done. In the end, we decided to go with 26 players who we feel have what it takes to bring home the gold,” Edghill disclosed.
Highlighting the fact that much of the practice was hindered by inclement weather, Coach Grant Stuarte noted that nonetheless the team have been able to get some key practice sessions done.
“In terms of team preparation, it was very tough in the early stages due to the fact that we didn’t have proper playing field due to the rain and the weather pattern that kept coming and going. But to the latter end, we were able to move around and get some reasonable playing grounds to exercise our practices,” he said.
The Coach went on to state that with only a few days remaining before the departure from Guyana, the team would be looking to iron out their plays and the executives would be looking to identify the final team. Other than that, the team are said to be in great shape with all the prospective players in great playing condition.
The Green Machine are expected to depart Guyana on August 22 for their international engagement. Guyana will be going into the competition with a lot of optimism, having beaten the best team Columbia at the Central American and Caribbean (CAC) Games 14-12.
Each team will play three games in the round-robin segment on Sunday, August 26 and Wednesday, August 29, with the final round set for Saturday, September 1. The winner will be the team with the most tournament points.
