By Travis Seymour | November 6, 2024
In less than two weeks, 18 teams from across the region will converge at the Larry Gomes Stadium in Trinidad and Tobago for three days of intense action in the Rugby Americas North (RAN) Sevens tournament.
Teams will battle it out for the coveted title of the region’s top sevens team, with Guyana set to rely on their speed as a key advantage.
This year’s tournament will see the teams split into Tier 1 and Tier 2 brackets.
The champions from the Men’s Tier 1 division will secure a spot in the 2025 World Rugby HSBC Sevens Challenger, while the top two teams, excluding Canada who has already been pre-qualified, will qualify for the 2025 Junior Pan American Games’ Sevens competition.
Meanwhile, the Men’s Tier 2 winners will be promoted to Tier 1 in 2025 under a promotion-relegation system.
Former national captain Claudius Butts highlighted that speed has always been a defining strength for the Guyanese team.
He believes they will use this to their advantage as they strive to reclaim their position as leaders in regional rugby.
Butts emphasized that Sevens is the best route for Guyana to reassert their dominance in the sport, stating, “It’s our main strength, and we are working on it.”
In Tier 1, Guyana will face tough competition from Barbados, Bermuda, Canada, Cayman Islands, Jamaica, Mexico, and host nation Trinidad & Tobago.
Tier 2 teams include Curaçao, Dominican Republic, St. Vincent & the Grenadines, and Turks & Caicos Islands.
Last year, the USA Men’s and Canada Women’s teams earned spots in the Paris Olympic Games by winning the tournament.