Jamaica’s rugby team, has successfully qualified to play in the 2018 Rugby World Cup Sevens, as well as in three other competitions that will take place in San Francisco July 20th-22nd, 2018. The Jamaica Crocs team won the 2017 Rugby Americas North Sevens (RANS) Tournament at the Estadio Camp Marte in Mexico to qualify by defeating the host team 24 to 14 in the semi-final. The Jamaica Crocs team went on to defeat Guyana 28 to 25 in the grand finale, also advancing to the 2018 Hong Kong Sevens tournament, the Central American and Caribbean Sport Organization (CASCO) Games, and the Commonwealth Games, which will be held on the Gold Coast in Australia in April. Jamaica’s Lady Crocs also performed well in Mexico and returned home with a bronze medal for finishing in third place, The stand-out players were Dae-Marie White, Christina Groves and Lisa Frazer. The Lady Crocs advanced to the 2018 CASCO Games as well. Olivia Grange, Jamaica’s Minister of Culture, Gender, Entertainment and Sport, praised the nation’s rugby players for displaying “excellence in sport.” According to Grange, the last-minute effort of the men’s team during the final match against Guyana qualified them for the World Cup Sevens. Grange also lauded the Lady Crocs. She noted that the Jamaican men were named 2017 Men’s Rugby Americas North Sevens champions, playing “with the purpose and skills that showed nothing but determination to win and qualified for the Rugby World Cup for the first time in history.” She described the Crocs’ performance as “magnificent.” Grange praised the Jamaica Rugby Football Union and its head Jerry Benzwick for the commitment and effort toward brining out the best in Jamaica’s rugby players to date, and wished the men’s and women’s teams “many more successes” in the future.

Source: Rugby World Cup Sevens Website, photo provided by Bruce Martin from the Jamaica National Rugby Team