Both the men’s and women’s teams of North American heavyweights USA and Canada qualified easily for the 2009 Rugby World Cup Sevens on Sunday at the Winton Rugby Club in Nassau, Bahamas.
The USA men’s Sevens team went undefeated in the competition, beating Trinidad & Tobago, Guyana and Bermuda before triumphing over Canada in the final, 21-12.
The men’s Cup final in Nassau was every bit as physical as expected. USA scored first through Chris Wyles after a clever cross-field kick by Valenese Malifa but Canada hit back to level before the break. The Cannucks then scored again shortly after the re-start but late tries by Justin Boyd and James Gillenwater secured the title for USA.
“Every game that we play against Canada is very, very close,” said USA Sevens Coach Al Caravelli. “It always comes down to who makes the most mistakes. Both of their tries were from turnovers by us. Our defense didn’t let us down, though, and I’m very pleased with all of our players’ performances today. They really gave it their all and that is all you can ask of a team.
“I have to give credit to the entire squad of 22 that we brought to our assembly the week before this event,” Caravelli added. “The reason this team was so successful was due to the fact that each and every one of the players in that assembly was pushing each other to perform to his potential and we couldn’t have been as competitive without that kind of mentality.”
This NAWIRA Sevens tournament also decided the annual Caribbean Cup Champions among the West Indies teams in attendance.
On the men’s side Guyana won the title for the third year in a row beating Bermuda 42-0, while the Guyananese women also took home the honours after winning a highly competitive match against Trinidad and Tobago 15-5.
NAWIRA RWC 7s Qualifiers
Day 2 – Results
Men’s Plate Round Robin
Bahamas 17, Mexico 5
Mexico 5, Barbados 0
Bahamas 19, Barbados 5
Men’s Plate Final
Bahamas 5, Mexico 0
Men’s Cup Pool Play
Pool 1
USA 35, Trinidad and Tobago 10
Guyana 5, Trinidad and Tobago 0
USA 41, Guyana 7
Pool 2
Canada 41, Cayman 0
Bermuda 17, Cayman 0
Canada 47, Bermuda 0
Men’s Cup Semifinals
USA 55, Bermuda 0
Canada 42, Guyana 0
Men’s 5th/6th
Trinidad and Tobago 24, Cayman 0
Men’s 3/4th & Caribbean Championships
Guyana 42, Bermuda 0
Men’s Cup Finals & RWC Seven Qualifiers
USA 21, Canada 12
