The Tribune

By RENALDO DORSETT

Sports Reporter

rdorsett@tribunemedia.net

THE battle for nationwide bragging rights on the rugby pitch will again be decided in an inter-island rivalry between New Providence and Grand Bahama.

League leaders Cuckoos will square off against Freeport in the Bahamas Rugby Cup Finale at the Winton rugby pitch on Saturday, April 28.

Freeport upset Baillou and protected their home field advantage with a 25-14 win while league leaders Cuckoos won 21-17 over Buccaneers.

And in New Providence, the Cuckoos (they have a 2-0 record against Freeport this year) took a 21-17 win over the Buccaneers.

In the last matchup between the two teams, Cuckoos won 17-12 in February and got the victory in a low scoring affair (12-5) in January.

Cuckoos ended league play with their second consecutive win over rival club Baillou headed into the playoffs. They won the first place pennant with a 29-26 over Baillou to finish the season undefeated.

Freeport had previously dropped two games against Baillou on the year, most notably a 34-29 defeat in February. However, the team rebounded in the playoffs to make their second consecutive appearance in the Bahamas Cup final.

In 2011, Baillou won the Bahamas Cup over Freeport in the final with a 45-26 win. Baillou opened with three unanswered scores to grab control of the game early on and was never seriously threatened over the remainder of the match.

Freeport made their first try of the game just before the end of the first half to trim the deficit to 10 (17-7). The second half was all Baillou as they opened with three unanswered tries to take their biggest lead of the contest, 38-7.

Both teams exchanged scores late in the contest with the game out of reach for the final score.

Freeport boasts four players that were members of the Bahamas' national team which played at home against Bermuda in the early rounds of regional qualifying last year while Cuckoos is led by perennial national team standouts Jeremico Cooper and Andrew Bain.

In last year's semifinal, Cuckoos fell to Baillou with a 26-19 loss while Freeport won 25-19 over the Buccaneers.

Cuckoos look to add to a perfect season which also includes a Nassau Cup title. They won the Bahamas Cup in 2009 and 2010 while Freeport's last Bahamas Cup title came in 2008.

"Every year we try to get into the schools and pick up some new talent. You have to recruit because the nature of rugby is a lot of injuries. You lose players during the season so the influx is always welcome and needed," BRFU director Elystan Miles said.

"Cuckoos and Baillou have been the top teams all year but the way Cuckoos have played all year going undefeated throughout, most people have them pegged as the favourites. They have an experienced squad but also got a good injection of youth and people around the league were high on them, especially toward the end of the year.

"The last few weekends for us really saved the season in terms of attendance and excitement for the fans. We had a greater turnout toward the end of the Nassau Cup and the Bahamas Cup playoffs at the pitch because people came out and were excited about seeing rugby played at a high level with a couple of close games. At this point, the fans know what to expect with these squads coming out and playing with the Bahamas Cup on the line, so we all look forward to the next two weeks."