Trinidad and Tobago rugby women edge Cayman Islands 29-26

TRINIDAD and Tobago's women's rugby team got an exciting XVs win on July 5 when they got a thrilling 29-26 result over the Cayman Islands in a friendly international at the Larry Gomes Stadium in Malabar.

After their nail-biting 18-16 win over Mexico in a Rugby Americas North XVs match at the same venue on June 28, the TT team gave the home fans more to cheer as they came from behind to defeat Cayman Islands in a game which had its fair share of momentum swings.

After just four minutes, the Cayman Islands took a 5-0 lead when the impressive Jaz Gray broke down the TT defence before setting up Rachel Hartley for a facile try. Hartley also converted her penalty kick to make it 7-0.

TT got their first try in the seventh minute when Blossom Stewart got clear of the visitors' defence. Elektra Dennis then converted the penalty as TT drew level at 7-7. Hartley was on the board again in the 26th minute and she also converted her kick to give the Cayman Islands a 14-7 lead. In the 35th minute, the guests looked to be in the ascendancy as they jumped out to a 19-7 lead with another try.

Critically, the hosts got on the scorecard again just before the half as the lively Ketara Munroe scored a try in the 38th minute after Fayola Jack broke down the Cayman Islands' defence with a brilliant run down the right. Munroe's try took TT's score to 12 and the Cayman Islands had a 19-14 lead at the half after Dennis converted another kick.

The visitors would have wanted a rerun of one of their latter first-half possessions too, as they lost control of the ball mere metres away from the try line when they looked certain to increase their tally.

"I think the adjustments coming into the second half (helped us get back into the game). We started playing to our strengths. We were double-tackling and working together as a team and supporting once we got the line break and it worked out for us," TT skipper TS Davis said of her team's comeback.

TT's intensity increased upon the resumption, with Munroe bringing the scores level at 19-19 in the 43rd minute when she scored a try after cleverly kicking the ball over the defence and latching onto the loose ball to surge home.

TT got their first lead of the game on the hour-mark when the speedy Alyssa Fields stormed down the left to score a try after a measured move from her team. TT led 24-19 at that stage, but Gray brought the scores level at 24-24 in the 71st minute when she ripped straight through the TT rear guard. Another Hartley conversion gave Cayman Islands a 26-24 lead a minute later.

With regulation time running out, Jack got the telling blow for TT when she scored a try in the 78th minute to give her team a decisive 29-26 lead.

"We worked hard and we got it. We secured the win," a pleased Davis said. "It gives the confidence to keep working and getting stronger. Next year, we aim to go one better with the XVs."

TT rugby women's squad:

TS Davis (captain), Abigail Adams, Chantelle Charles, Jerice Cole, Elektra Dennis, Rebecca Dickson, Teresita Dillon, Alyssa Fields, Ornella George, Jade Husbands, Fayola Jack, Zaria Joseph, Sapphyre Kerr, Leah Kintiba, Bella Martin, Zoe McKnight, Marika Mendez, Ketara Munroe, Quaneisha Oliver, Special Ryan, Kyiala Simon, Blossom Stewart, Julene Thomas.