SEBASTIAN Navarro played a major role as TT mauled Jamaica 41-12 in their third-place play-off match of the North American Caribbean Rugby Association (NACRA) Under-19 Cup at the Hasely Crawford Stadium yesterday.
TT had to settle for playing for third after suffering an upset defeat 24-20 at the hands of Barbados which resulted in Mexico advancing to the final.
Navarro, who had a try, was a perfect five-for-five in conversion and also scored two penalties. Anderson Joseph had two tries while Deion Smith and Jonathan Blackburn had one each. The twin-island team held a commanding 24-5 lead at the end of the first half.
Head coach Peter Bacchus said it was an excellent showing from his team.
“This was a very good performance from the boys especially after they suffered defeat against Barbados which prevented them from making the final. It took a lot mentally for the team to rebound and come out and dominate the Jamaicans. Despite the fact that we lost to Barbados, I still think we were the best team in the tournament,” said Bacchus.
He said the win would have done a lot for the players who were feeling a bit down in spirits as a result of not making the final.
“This win would go a long way for the players. Most of them are still in school and a school team will be heading to Canada for a development tour next month and this experience will help a lot. It was a different experience for them especially playing these opponents in front of their home crowd and I think this is good for the future of the sport in the country,” said the former national senior player.