...T&T suffers heartbreak defeat in final
Heartbreak descended over the local rugby fraternity last evening after an improved Calypso Warriors fell to a harsh 26-18 defeat by USA South in the final of the North American and Caribbean Rugby Association (Nacra) Rugby Championship, at Fatima College Ground, Mucurapo Road. The win granted the resolute Americans the tier three title for the first time since their inauguration, while T&T was made to wait at least another year for regional success. T&T last won the Nacra Championship in 2008.
The weather and ground conditions could not have been better for a final, with the exception of the odd gust of wind which made it tricky for both teams’ designated kickers. And, very little separated either side. Both teams had their share of advantages, with the 18-18 deadlock in the last 20 minutes illustrating the strength and determination of both outfits. In the end, it was a successful penalty from the pin-point outside half Lucas Baistrocchi, a constant thorn in T&T’s side, and a try from Chance Doyle with two minutes remaining in the fixture which gave victory to USA South.
The opening two tries from the home team were scored by Joseph Quashie in similar circumstances, as the centre was played the ball onto the left side on both occasions, before he outpaced a stretched and napping USA defence. Unfortunately for T&T, both of his two tries and the 46th minute try from Wayne Kelly went unconverted, in addition to a couple missed penalties from the designated kickers Kelson Figaro and Jonathan O'Connor. The match had the potential to swing strongly in favour of the host team which twice held the advantage. Leading toward the end of the first period, T&T led 13-11, but an awkward bounce wrong-footed the T&T full back Keishon Walker near to his try line, allowing USA centre Amir Khan to sprint onto for an easy try. The deadly Baistrocchi then converted as USA went into the break with a 18-13 lead. Kelly’s 46th minute equalizing try gave T&T a realistic hope of finding yet another advantage, but it again went unconverted, and no further tries or penalties were scored by the Calypso Warriors. USA South, even as it remained grounded on its back foot for almost all of the remaining 35 minutes, remained vigilant and capitalized on its rare opportunities.
Chants of “T&T, T&T” from the 200-plus supporters could not spur the team on, as its luck fell just short. Clearly deflated, T&T coach Larry Mendez rued the loss and felt his team was on the wrong end of the result, even as both teams performed to a high standard. “Coming out and losing in that final is obviously going to be a hard pill for us to swallow, particularly with the kind of preparation we put into it, with the (limited) resources that we have...” He continued, “Congratulations to USA. They played very well. (However) by no means should we have ended up in this losing position.” “The match was lost, I would think, in the (lack of implementation of the) game plan. We fell short there, and because of (a lack of) discipline. But, I think coming out of this, the players will see what it truly means to become champions. It will take a lot of commitment. Definitely what is needed is more games. It is almost impossible for a national team to have three games in a year and be successful. We need more, at least 10 games a year to almost assure success.” Several members of the 15s team will be back in training next month to begin preparation for the Nacra regional sevens tournament, which takes place in November.