Whanau and Defence Force were winners of the Ladies’ divisions at the Royalians’ 60th anniversary Sevens Rugby tournament at the Queen’s Park Savannah, Port-of-Spain on Saturday (October 25).
Whanau won the girls’ Under-20 category ahead of San Juan while Defence Force captured the women’s honours. Whanau played unbeaten in the round-robin format with victories over South East Port of Spain (SEPOS), 30-5 and San Juan, 17-10. San Juan got the better of SEPOS, 15-12.
Bella Martin of Whanau was named the “Most Valuable Player” (MVP).
Defence Force lifted the women’s title after playing unbeaten in the round-robin contest. The army/coastguard combination team secured wins over Tropical Treasures (17-0) and hosts Royalians (22-10). Tropical Treasures claimed the runner-up spot after beating Royalians 22-5. Defence Force’s exceptional performance was recognised with Fayola Jack earning the MVP trophy for the division.
Whanau completed a double when the boys’ Under-20 team was victorious against San Juan 38-12.
National Fullback Jeremiah Moore shone brightly for Whanau, scoring four tries. The 18-year-old opened the scoring with darting runs down the left side, leaving the San Juan defenders in his wake and produced a speedy dash for his second try, giving his team a 12-5 halftime lead. He added two more tries in the second half to secure the victory.
Moore’s dominant display earned him the MVP award. This victory marked Whanau’s second tournament win, having also captured the Caribs 7s title on October 4, also against San Juan (15-10). San Juan was also going for a second win after they got past Silvo 25-0 at the Silvo 7s in Gasparillo on October 18.
Whanau advanced to the final after whipping Exiles 31-0 while San Juan overcame Silvo, 26-14.
Defence Force emerged as the men’s champions with a come-from-behind win over Harvard (12-10).
The Soldiers opened the scoring to go up 5-0 before Harvard responded to tie at 5-5 and went in front 10-5 at the interval. Defence Force dug deep to level the score at 10-10 and converted to take the encounter 12-10.
Defence Force’s Lemuel Rogers got the nod for the men’s MVP accolade.
Defence Force secured a spot in the final after a 15-10 defeat of Caribs in the semifinal in a rematch of the Silvo 7s final, when Caribs won 25-0. Harvard beat hosts Royalians in the other semifinal 25-19. Caribs were going for a third title after taking the Caribs crown on October 4 with a 10-0 triumph.
Carlton Felix, of the Tournament’s Organising Committee, expressed satisfaction with the outcome of the one-day competition.
He said, “It went really well. We got a reasonable start, the games flowed smoothly, the teams participated well and the weather was kind to us. It is a great feat for us to be celebrating 60 years. It shows we are more than just a club but an institution. We have a legacy that we are continuing to leave for others and building up on. It shows that the club is strong and doing well.”
