Keifer Lopes: Focused on improving himself

By Timothy Jaikarran

After losing to Guadeloupe 19-5, the Green Machine were forced to go back to the drawing board to try and determine where they had gone wrong.
For a debuting Keifer Lopes, the experience was a bitter-sweet one. He had been ecstatic to finally break into the Green Machine team as the Hooker or the #2 position. According to ruck.co.uk, a hooker is one of the forwards’ key decision-makers. He or she would coordinate the timing at the scrum, and is responsible for winning possession in the scrummage by hooking the ball back through the props’ legs. At the lineout, he or she is responsible for throwing the ball in, and must be able to accurately hit the lineout jumper who is expecting the ball.
In open play, the hooker plays a role similar to the props, securing possession at rucks and mauls, or taking short ‘crash’ passes.
During the matchup with Guadeloupe, Lopes had shown heart and determination even though the Green Machine were in a losing position. According to Lopes, his flirtation with rugby started a long time ago, at the University of Guyana. He noted that he was usually very stressed out, and was easily fatigued and angered.
Luck would play its part with him being introduced to national player Rondel McArthur, who asked him if he’d ever considered playing. The pathway to fulfilling his newfound dream was laid, and he started out with the UG Wolves Rugby Club and worked his way up the proverbial ladder.
Asked by this publication about his journey towards making the Green Machine, Lopes said, “I’ve been training for the national team a while now. I think it was in 2016 I made the reserve list for the team, but I just kept trying. Each year, a different version of myself goes out to try and make the team. I officially made the starting squad this year, when we played against Guadeloupe.
“Playing against Guadeloupe was a very intense experience. I got hits in that game that I haven’t felt in a long time; but it was a good thing, and it woke me up.”
Lopes has said that he still needs to improve himself as a player. He also noted that his main goal is to keep training, pushing himself and challenging the players around him, so that they may grow as a team.