The Tribune

By RENALDO DORSETT

Sports Reporter

rdorsett@tribunemedia.net

AS the local rugby season comes to an end, the Bahamas Rugby Football Union (BRFU) is focused on the national team development process for competition in the NACRA region.

In preparation for the qualification rounds of the RWC Sevens Finals and the World Cup Qualifiers, Team Bahamas has been training over the past few months on the path to qualification and will take the programme to another level once club play has concluded.

Last weekend, the 2015 World Cup Qualifiers began with the opening game between Mexico and Jamaica - a match which Mexico won 68-14.

The North Caribbean region has a pre-qualification group which includes Mexico, Jamaica and the Cayman Islands. The winner of that group goes on to compete with Bermuda and the Bahamas.

The Bahamas is slated to play the group winner in an away game on either May 26 or June 2 and then Bermuda at home on June 9.

In July, the winner of that round is scheduled to play the winners of the South Caribbean Group for the title of Caribbean Champions.

The Bahamas is ranked third overall in the Caribbean and 86th overall in the International Rugby Board Rankings. Bermuda is currently the top-ranked side with an IRB ranking of 48 and Guyana second with a ranking of 48.

Trinidad and Tobago is ranked fourth, while Mexico rounds out the top five. Barbados, the Cayman Islands, Jamaica, St Vincent, the British Virgin Islands and St Lucia.

BRFU director Elystan Miles said the pre-training sessions should benefit the teams in terms of conditioning and chemistry as the tournaments approach.

"Training sessions have been incredible. The turn out has been good so far, better than expected, actually with more and more guys coming out because sevens is such an attractive version of the game. Our major issue right now is we have yet to select a coach. We have great options to choose from and its taking a while to reach a final decision on that," he said.

"For now, the players have been coaching themselves and going through mini-camps and workouts with what we call 'Renegade Rugby' and that has actually been quite beneficial in helping the team form a bond. Locally, rugby has really come along at the club level and that has helped the national team programme in recent years."

The regional qualifier for the 2013 RWC Sevens Finals is scheduled to take place at Twin Elms Rugby Park in Ottawa, Canada, August 25-26.

Two teams - from the men's tourney and the women's tournament - will emerge and qualify for the finals set to be held in Russia.

Canada and the US will be strong favourites in the men's tournament, with expected opposition from Caribbean champions Guyana. The Bahamas will join the field which also includes Bermuda, Jamaica, Cayman Islands, Mexico, Trinidad & Tobago, Barbados and St Vincent and the Grenadines.

The training programme has staged one mass mini-camp thus far and will continue with one per month in addition to regular training sessions.

Originally formed in March 2001 under the name of North America and West Indies Rugby Association ("NAWIRA"), NACRA is one of the six IRB regional associations.

NACRA is the governing body of the 13 Unions in the North America Caribbean Rugby Association. Its membership is diverse and currently includes the Bahamas, Barbados, Bermuda, British Virgin Islands, Canada, Cayman Islands, Guyana, Jamaica, Mexico, St Lucia, St Vincent and The Grenadines, Trinidad and Tobago and the US.