National senior rugby team coach Larry Mendez has hailed his players for what he deemed a “brilliant showing” in the Calypso Warriors’ 20-0 win over rival Guyana to advance to the Nacra Championship (Tier III) final, at the UWI Spec Ground, St Augustine, on Saturday evening. The national 15s team added to its 19-6 away victory over Barbados a week prior to win the three-team group in style. T&T defeated Guyana through tries from Jesse Richards, captain Adam Frederick and Anthony Lopez, with Kelson Figaro converting one try and scoring a penalty. The win, however, was achieved with some skepticism of the team, which lost to Guyana by the same margin (20-0) almost a year ago, effectively knocking the T&T team out of World Cup 2015 contention.
As a result, the players can now look forward to the big finale against a USA South team, on June 22, at home. The venue is yet to announced. And, Saturday’s convincing win, according to Mendez, was no fluke. “The team has been through rigorous training. After the match, I texted Dwayne Hinds (a top local MMA fighter) to thank him for the work done with Rouge House (MMA training facility). “The players were made to find comfort in uncomfortable positions (as part of our plan), considering we don’t have the biggest players,” Mendez said. Explaining his philosophy, Mendez, who last season carried the Harvard Club to its finest ever showing as a rugby team, with a Championship trophy and several other cups, said he gives the players the freedom to express themselves. “I don’t like to dictate. At the end of the day, the players are the ones on the field. What we did work on, however, was creating a style of play, whereas they move from touchline to touchline and focus on movement.
He continued: “We don’t have the money to tour, nor do the selectors have a lot of players at their disposal, so we tend to improvise.” “But, what happened on the pitch was unique. There was a lot of emotion riding on this game.” Mendez referred to the embrace between the players and a former national and Caribs standout Jason “Moon” Clarke, who has been in hospital since his horrific accident last year, which kept him partially paralysed. Clarke braved his condition to support the team and his brother and Caribs teammate Jamal Clarke. Asked if rugby in T&T is on the rise once again, Mendez, who spent three months studying the sport in New Zealand, said it may be the case, but he understands it is still considered a recreational activity in the country, and looms behind several other sports in terms of popularity. “When the players get the opportunity to wear the red, white and black, they must take pride in it. “There are millions of rugby players around the world who never get the opportunity to represent their country. We have lots of talent here, but we often take it for granted.”