Three new faces join the Barbados Rugby Football Union team for the Rugby Americas North 7’s Tournament, which takes place in Arima, Trinidad, beginning on Friday and running until Sunday.
Joshua Rudling, Justin Hart and Christopher Blades are the new additions that Head Coach Joe Whippie will be hoping can help spur the side to victory in this tournament, which serves as a qualifier for the HSBC Challenger Series Pathway and the Caribbean and Central American Games.
Jake Caddy and Grayson Haynes rejoin the squad after four-year absences.
Whippie said, “We have had a few challenges based on injuries and illness, but in the end, we have a good mix in our squad. Thanks to Keith Burant, TCI RFU President, we had a good eight-day training camp in the Turks and Caicos Islands. We were also joined by ex-Canada 7s coach Sean White, who provided some new and improved methods of play. We expect a very competitive Tier 1 tournament.”
Their competition begins with a match against Canada in the morning, before they take on Mexico at 1:22 p.m. On Day two, Barbados close out their pool phase when they tackle Bermuda at 9:22 a.m.
The squad is as follows: Enrique Oxley (captain), Sean Ward (vice captain), Jeremy Nelson, Grayson Haynes, Rajiv Grant, Cadeem Knight, D’Andre Philips, Joshua Rudling, Jake Caddy, Simon John, Justin Hart, and Christopher Blades. The management team consists of Head Coach Joe Whippie, Dario Stoute, Team Manager and Guy Mahon as Physio ICR2. (JC)
