The Tribune

By RENALDO DORSETT

Sports Reporter

rdorsett@tribunemedia.net

THE Bahamas made its return to the international rugby scene last weekend but, despite a disappointing loss, national team head coach Jose Viana said it was a learning experience for the team as they head into the North American Caribbean Rugby Association Championships.

Team Bahamas fell 35-7 to the Cayman Islands in a friendly match in Freeport, Grand Bahama, last weekend.

“I would say the performance of the team was pretty good considering that the Cayman team scored on mistakes rather than gaining an advantage over us. Overall it was a pretty positive experience because there are things that can be taken away from that game and used to help us improve,” Viana said.

The match was in preparation for the NACRA Caribbean Championships, however counted toward the International Rugby Board standings.

With the win, Cayman rose five spots in the IRB standings to No.58 overall while the Bahamas fell three spots to No.92.

The NACRA Caribbean Championships begin for the Bahamas on May 17 when the team is scheduled to play Mexico in a home game at the Winton Rugby Centre.

In the second game of the series, the Bahamas is slated to travel to face Turks and Caicos on May 31, and return home to face Jamaica on June 28.

The winner of the group will be promoted back into Caribbean North Division One.

The winner of our group goes into a playoff with the team that comes bottom of Division One, which includes USA South, Cayman, and Bermuda.

“Our first team meeting and practice with the entire side was that morning before we played and it definitely showed on the pitch because rugby is a very co-ordinated sport. The good thing is that these are things that can be corrected,” Viana said.

“The main issue is that we have team members in Freeport and team members in Nassau, so it’s not possible to get the full team at as much practices as we would like to. As we get closer to the NACRA Championships, the BRFU has made a greater effort to get the team co-ordinated and it is something we will need if we hope to improve.”

The Bahamas was relegated to Division Two after tbeing eliminated from the NACRA 15-a-Side Championships and IRB World Cup Qualification contention.

The Bahamas fell 16-8 to Bermuda in their second game of the North Zone group.

In game one, the Bahamas fell 27-7 to the Cayman Islands. It was the first time Cayman beat the Bahamas since 2003.

“For the NACRA Championships, we have to improve on our ball possession. The scrum and the lineout are co-ordinated moves so it is difficult for us to maximise our potential in these areas unless we practice these scenarios together,” Viana said. “When you play without ball control, you end up on the defensive end for much of the game, which is what happened last weekend, and you see the result.”