T&T ready for RWC start
Tue, 15 Apr 2008 18:24
The Trinidad and Tobago national senior men's rugby team fly out of Trinidad on Friday 18 April bound for Cayman Islands where they will participate in the Caribbean Zone 2011 Rugby World Cup qualifier. They have the honour of starting the 2011 World Cup.
The Calypso Warriors are on a mission. T&T, once Caribbean rugby high fliers will be seeded sixth in the eight-nation tournament.
"The former Caribbean champions are determined to regain the title," say steam Manager Curtis Nero.
T&T were all set to travel to Cayman Islands with their best available squad. In the last two weeks the TTRFU selectors were forced to revisit their plans.
English-based prop forward Selwyn St Bernard and fullback Bevon Armitage both play in England's National League 1, St Bernard for Blaydon and Armitage for Esher. Both however were forced to withdraw because of injury. On the local front, scrumhalf Jonathan O'Connor (work commitments) and Graeme Alikns (university exam commitments), a marauding and aggressive back row forward, cannot make the trip.
Nero though is not worried as there are three players making their debuts (Kirk Aanensen, Bernard Yet Ming and Jason Joseph) who the TTRFU chairman of selectors believes have "what it takes to make the step up".
The good news is that English based prop forward Damaian Martinez is available and will join his countrymen in Cayman.
The match against the Cayman Islands is the first of the tournament and so the first qualift=ying match for RWC 2011. The referee for this match is Tony Sporeadbury of England who refereed the first mjnatch of the final tournament of RWC2007, bwteen France and Argentina in paris.
The T&T squad:
Forwards: Jason Clark, Damian Martinez, David Apang, Adam Fredricks, Peter Bacchus, Jason Joseph, Colin Gellineau, Samuel Roberts, Dexter Snaggs, Ronald Anandsingh, Kurt Quashie, Robert Stone, Felician Guerra, Miguel Lara, Wayne Kelly.
Backs: Kirk Aanensen, Don Rojas, Bernard Yetming, Abdeel Giles, Kidane Silverthorn, Nyuen Franco, Brendon O'farrell, Ronald Silverthorne, Carlton Felix, Andre Cabera, Kelson Figaro.
Team Management:
Coach: Rhett Chee Ping (
Manager: Rajesh Dharrie-Maharaj
