Hosts Caribs beat Royalians in rugby sevens final

A PAIR of tries from the eventual MVP Karlon “Tank” Alexander summed up an outstanding season for Caribs Rugby Football Club, who emerged victorious in their Caribs Rugby Sevens tournament on November 17.

Alexander, together with efforts from Anderson Joseph, Malique Rayside and club stalwart Richard Staglon, one of which was converted by Reinaldo Bermudez, saw Caribs triumph at the Queen’s Park Savannah, Port of Spain, beating Royalians 27-0 in the final.

Their efforts were nearly thwarted by a sudden burst of heavy rain and lightning, which almost forced officials to call an early end to the two-day competition.

Their lone defeat (24-0) came against the national men’s sevens team, preparing for the Rugby Americas North (RAN) Sevens Tournament from November 22-24 at the Larry Gomes Stadium, Arima.

Caribs’ victory at home capped a dominant weekend, which showcased exciting youth rugby talent. South East Port of Spain triumphed in the Under-20 women’s final, defeating Caribs 19-0. Silvo edged San Juan 21-14 to take the Under-16 boys title.

Gasparillo-based Exiles emerged as champions in the Under-20 boys’ final, defeating Caribs 20-7, thanks to a hat-trick of stunning tries from Adriano Baptiste and another from Kafiel Francis.

Caribs won two of the three previous stages of the TT Rugby Football Union’s (TTRFU) series: the Suki Sevens and Silvo Sevens. Defence Force claimed the Police Sevens in La Horquetta last weekend.

Trinidad Northern, however, faced heartbreak on Sunday as they bowed out of contention by a coin flip after their semifinal against Royalians was interrupted by hazardous weather.

Officials abandoned the men’s match in the second half when it was tied at 7-7. A win for Northern could have set up a rematch against Caribs, who had narrowly defeated them 17-10 in the Police Sevens semifinal.

The women’s segment at the Caribs’ Sevens Tournament also ended with an unceremonious coin flip, which handed Royalians victory.

Caribs’ sevens series triumph follows title wins in 15s league and knockout competitions this year.

It marked the penultimate stage of the TTRFU Sevens Series, which will conclude with the Harvard International Sevens on November 30 and December 1.

All eyes now shift to RAN Sevens, the region’s premier sevens tournament, hosted this year by the TTRFU.

The three-day tournament kicks off on November 22 at 1 pm, with a men’s second-tier meeting between Turks & Caicos Islands and Curaçao. Eighteen teams from 17 countries will compete across three categories: two men’s tiers and one women’s tier, with preliminary groups in each. Champions from the men’s top tier and women’s brackets will secure qualification for the World Rugby HSBC Sevens Challenger Series in 2025.

The top two teams (excluding pre-qualified Canada) in these brackets will earn spots at the 2025 Junior Pan American Games Sevens competition. The men’s second-tier bracket winner will achieve promotion to tier one for the 2025 season.