A privilege to captain Stag Trinidad Northern

LEADING a club that boasts a hundred years of history is not a task entrusted to everyone.

Stag Trinidad Northern Rugby Football Club captain Chris Hudson, who has been at the club for almost a decade, has been given that responsibility, ande described the honour as a privilege.

Trinidad Northern, founded in 1923, has been a staple in local rugby. Based in the heart of Port of Spain, Northern’s clubhouse is on Cipriani Boulevard in Port of Spain and their home training ground is at President’s Grounds, St Ann’s.

Hudson said being asked to be captain was not something he thought would happen.

“To be very honest, it is very surreal, not something I expected or even thought about, being a captain of this club.”

Hudson, who joined Northern in 2014, was honoured just to be part of the historic team.

“I just enjoy playing rugby and having fun, enjoy the family environment that this club provides. I didn’t think in a long shot that I would be captain.

“But I am grateful and I always try to do my best for the club, for the players, and every aspect of the club I try to partake in or help in any way that I could.”

Hudson said he knows other players look up to him to lead on and off the field.

“When I first came to Northern I used to play on the wing and I gradually moved to different positions in-field...Now, to be somebody that other players look up to, or other players look to to get the job done, or do something, to me that is very important.

“To me, that is the highlight of my time here at Northern – that people want me to be captain of the club.”

Hudson said he is not overwhelmed by the burden of captaincy, and credited his predecessors for setting the standard.

“It is not too much pressure, but I think the persons before me laid such a good platform and set such high standards, and they still help with getting things done...

“I don’t think it is a weight, but it is more of a privilege to me, and I always continue to try to excel in everything that I do, always try to find a way to help the club in any way that I can on and off the field.”

Hudson is a former member of the Rainbow Rugby Club from South Trinidad, having grown up in Marabella.

“My family and my uncles play with Rainbow. Rainbow was going through a phase where they are transitioning, and I decided that I needed something different.”

After discussions with a couple of members of Northern, Hudson decided to make the move.

On the atmosphere at Northern, Hudson said, “Something that our club really thrives on is family, because everything we do is about each other – on and off the field.

“It is always about having fun, being in each other’s company, doing different things: cooking in the club, going on the beach to lime together...as long as I have been here, that is the environment that I know.”

Hudson said success is in Northern’s DNA and recalled the 2019 season as a memorable one.

“We literally ransacked everything and took all the trophies, that is a big thing for me.”

Those trophies included rugby 15s titles, rugby 7s, league and knockout crowns.

Hudson said, “Our team was well prepared, well drilled, and we executing well. Great team chemistry, great team effort, just a general cohesiveness to the team. Things was just clicking.”

On the prestigious Bruno Browne Cup, played annually since 1963 between Trinidad Northern and Caribs Rugby Football Club, Hudson said when the teams clash on the field, winning is of paramount importance.

“Our biggest rival is Carib. As long as I know, that has been Northern’s rival, even when I was not part of the club, I think because they were once one club and then they split (in 1960), that has been always been a rival, and guaranteed, once we face each other, it is always a tough match.”

However, since the covid19 pandemic hit in March 2020 and stymied local sport for over two years, Northern’s objectives have been adjusted accordingly. The local rugby league only resumed this year and many clubs are yet to show their full potential.

“We are in the phase of transition, so we have a lot of young guys in the club...We not in the winning phase to say we winning everything, but we not losing.

“It is not a bad transition, because at the end of the day it is good for the club to show that we have youths coming through the system.”

Looking ahead, Hudson said the club can continue to produce national players, as their system and structure remain strong.

“I think we will be in a good place – on and off the field. We have a nice home, we have a well-developed place, we have our own space.

“On the field we have great talent coming up and we have great senior players assisting and creating pathways for the juniors to get the opportunity, because we have a lot of junior players on the junior national team, and a lot of senior players on the senior national team. So it is a good look for the club.”