Chalk up the last couple of months for the Cayman national rugby teams as a learning experience.

The men’s national team came in second to last in April’s Caribbean Cup, and the recent Demlife/Tropical Rhythm-sponsored North America West Indies Rugby Association (NAWIRA) women’s 15-a-side rugby competition didn’t go as planned for the women’s team.

However, Trinidad and Tobago’s national rugby teams are emerging as the ones to reckon with in the Caribbean.

At the recent competition, the Caymanian women lost all three of their matches.

The first game of the championship, hosted by the Guyana Rugby Football Union at their National Park, was on Monday, 5 May against Guyana.

Before that, the opening game between last year’s winner Jamaica and Trinidad and Tobago, turned into a nail biter with T and T squeaking out a 12-10 win.

The Cayman ladies lost 41-0 to a very strong and fast Guyana team. The women conceded 27 points in the first half, but came back much better in the second half, only giving up two more scores, one of which was a try off a penalty.

On the second day of the competition, Cayman produced a better showing, only losing by five points to Jamaica at 12-7.

The ‘Reggae Girls’ were first to score when fullback Misty Stewart had a try in the sixth minute of play. The resulting kick was missed which re-energised the Cayman women, who continued to surge forward.

The Jamaican counterattack showed they weren’t going to sit back; they scored their second try four minutes after getting the first, courtesy of Sandy Thompson. Kaydian Gayle converted the kick and when the whistle signalled the end of the first half, the score line read 12-0 in favour of Jamaica.

Cayman Islands started the second half looking for their first try of the tournament, and fullback Olive MacDonagh delivered by recovering a loose ball from a scrum and forcing her way through the defence to score.

The resulting kick was converted by skipper Gill Comins and this brought some life back into the Cayman Islands team who threw all they had at the Jamaicans, forcing them to go on the defensive in the process.

The second game had host Guyana and Trinidad and Tobago playing to a 5-5 draw, following the youthful Trinidadians shocking come-from-behind victory over the Jamaicans in their first round matchup. Captain Julian Straker dominated the Guyanese in the feature match of the day. And had it not been for some sturdy defence by the host, the scorecard would have showed a different result.

On the third and final day of the 15-a-side rugby competition, Guyana was in a must-win situation. Guyana and Trinidad were locked at the top of the table with five points each, whilst number-one ranked Jamaica had four and the Cayman Islands two.

In the first game Trinidad and Tobago emulated their male counterparts with a 79-0 drubbing of the Cayman Islands.

Trinidad and Tobago were all over the Cayman women, led by captain 19-year-old Juliana Straker who scored 27 points and was elected the Most Valuable Player (MVP) of her team. The eventual champions opened the scoring in the 11th minute.

Even though they were outplayed, Cayman Islands, led by their team’s MVP Jess Lane, continued to display a never-say-die attitude with some spirited runs.

Host Guyana approached the final day with a plus-39 point differential over Trinidad and Tobago. For their final match, T and T needed to beat number one seed Jamaica by 40 points. They were unable to do so, but came away with a 13-10 victory.

Women’s Rugby Team
1 Cindy Blekaitis
2 Caroline Deegan
3 Anne Storie
4 Sumari Naude
5 Amanda McField
6 Jane Robson
7 Joanne Zieglar
8 Jessica Lane
9 Gill Comins
10 Lisa Kehoe
11 Emily Davies
12 Karen Hart
13 Lolita Hanna
14 Jenna Gaio
15 Olive MacDonagh
16 Eileen McLaughlin
17 Chanfra Friesen
18 Kareen Stangherlin
19 Shelley Cox