A weekend of competitive rugby between Bermuda and the Cayman Islands has kicked off, with both Bermudian national teams experiencing challenging encounters on the opening day at the Truman Bodden Sports Complex.
This series of matches echoes past tours, similar to Bermuda's successful Conyers Cup defence in 2010 and the national rugby teams' visit in 2013, reinforcing a strong regional rivalry. Youth matches between the two nations are scheduled to follow on Saturday.
In the women's encounter, the Cayman Islands Women’s team took to their home pitch and secured a victory over the Bermuda Women’s team. The scoreline indicates a tough outing for the Bermudian ladies against their regional counterparts.
Following the women's match, the Bermuda Men’s team went up against a familiar face in former coach Jamie Barnwell, who now coaches the Cayman Islands. Barnwell's knowledge of the Bermudian setup seemingly paid dividends, as his Cayman Islands side defeated Bermuda 18-10.
After only 9 Minutes cayman went ahead 3 - 0 with Harry Clark connecting with a Penalty Kick, Khabir Dill gave Bermuda the lead with a Try and Ja'kee Simone connected on the Conversion for Bermuda to take a 7 - 3 lead after 19 minutes, but Cayman fought back with a Try from Tommy Kehoe, but the Conversion was missed and Cayman Islands took a 8-7 lead to the break.
The second half began with Clark kicking another Penalty for Cayman Islands to extend their lead to 11 - 7 after 41 minutes, Hadleigh Tucker connected on a Penalty Kick to pull Bermuda within 1 point after 65 minutes, but four minutes later Michael Wilson scored a Try for Cayman Islands, and Eddie Westin connected on the Conversion for the 18 - 10 win.
Despite the losses on the opening day, the Bermudian teams will be looking to regroup and learn from these experiences as the weekend of rugby continues. The upcoming youth matches will also provide valuable development opportunities for the next generation of Bermudian rugby talent.
|
