The Tribune

By RENALDO DORSETT

Sports Reporter

rdorsett@tribunemedia.net

THE Bahamas’ senior men’s national team will be back on the pitch locally as they contest the Cup division in the 2017 Rugby Americas North Championship.

The Bahamas is scheduled to face the Turks and Caicos Islands at Winton Rugby Centre on Saturday, May 20.

Following this weekend’s match, the next game for the Bahamas will be on June 3 when they travel to face first-time participants in the tournament, the Dominican Republic.

Turks defended home turf and defeated the Dominican Republic 24-15 on May 4, in the first game of the series.

The game produced an historic feat for the country, as Jamaal Curry became the first Bahamian ever to referee an officially sanctioned international rugby match.

In their last appearance at the Rugby Americas North Championship in June 2016, the Bahamas suffered consecutive losses to Mexico, Cayman Islands and Bermuda. 

This year’s event marks the 10th edition of the RAN Championship, traditionally geared toward Tier 3 North American and Caribbean teams.

Pool play began on April 22 and will continue through July 1. Unlike last year’s tournament, 2017 will not serve as an iRB World Cup qualifying event and non World Rugby full member teams return to take part.

The North Zone returns to the 2015 format with a higher Championship level and a lower Cup level, however the South Zone has been reduced to one level of three teams.

The tournament has been divided into two competitions and three divisions, accompanied with a relegation and promotion system playoff. The two competitions are the Championship League (North Zone, South Zone) and the Cup League.

The Bahamas is a member of the Cup League, which features the aforementioned Dominican Republic and Turks and Caicos Islands. Championship League includes Bermuda, Cayman Islands, Mexico and USA South in the North Zone. The South Zone includes Guyana, Trinidad and Tobago and Barbados. The winners in the Cup League will earn an opportunity to play their way into the Championship League by facing off against the third place side among the Champions. Each division plays a single round robin. After pool play is complete, the winners play in the final on July 1.

Turks and Caicos Islands, and USA South return after being absent from the 2016 tournament while 2016 participants Jamaica and St. Vincent and the Grenadines did not enter.