NIGEL SIMON
Senior Multimedia Reporter
T&T senior men’s rugby coach Dale Trotman and team captain Shakeel Dyte both expressed confidence in their team’s chances of coming away with a win when the T&T ruggermen host Mexico in a Rugby Americas North (RAN) Championship at the Larry Gomes Stadium, Malabar, today from 4 pm.
The encounter serves as a highly anticipated rematch of last year’s RAN final, where T&T fell 45-14 to the hosts in Mexico City.
However, with home advantage this time around, the national side will be eager to gain a measure of revenge and begin their campaign on a strong note.
Speaking during their team’s final training session at the Hasely Crawford Stadium Training Field, Mucurapo, on Wednesday night, a confident Trotman, a former national player himself, said the preparations for the team have been a long one, which began back in January, and now it’s time for the players to put the work put in to the test.
“We had our first sessions at the beginning of the year, but then we had some injuries along with some unavoidable absences due to work commitments with the players on the team who are part of the T&T Defense Force due to the ongoing state of emergency.
“So, we had to make a few changes to the team, and we brought in some younger players to join with some of the seniors since it has been a continuous build-up to this game with the guys getting to gel and some tweaking of tactics as well. “There were also some issues with us getting the use of training grounds; as you know, in Rught it’s very important that the field is marked properly so that the players can know where they are, and we didn’t have venues for a long term to afford us that opportunity.”
Despite the challenges, Trotman said, as a group, the team was confident going into the match and is keen on playing excellent rugby in front of their home crowd.
With regard to the Mexicans, Trotman said, “Two years ago the T&T team went to Mexico with the same little amount of preparation, but this time around he thinks his players are a lot fitter going into the match than they were back then.”
“We have worked really hard on our fitness level with the help of the T&T Olympic Committee, and a key factor for us ahead of this match is that we are a much fitter unit.”
Team captain Dyte of Harvard Rugby Club added, “The boys have been working hard for a very long time and are ready and raring to go for Saturday.
“The team is a well-oiled machine and ready to take the field and get the job done against Mexico.”
T&T scarlets face Mexico in Mexico City
The T&T women national team will also be in action today when the face host Mexico in Mexico City at the Deportivo Harp Helú Grounds from 2 pm.
The women enter the contest full of confidence after securing a narrow but memorable 18-16 victory over Mexico on home soil last year while they also produced an impressive 27-13 win over Jamaica on May 17 and will now attempt to secure a second consecutive victory over their Mexican rivals.
