Haines: Rugby 15s hope for home field boost as ‘Big Game’ moves to South Sound

The renovations at the Truman Bodden Sports Complex haven’t just effected athletics.

In arguably the biggest game in Cayman Rugby Men’s 15s history, Cayman’s one-game playoff versus Guyana Saturday (9 February) has been moved to the South Sound Rugby Club.

After advancing to the regional final with a 20-19 win over Bermuda, a win would see Cayman move onto just  the second Americas Rugby Challenge. Having never advanced outside the region in the history of the Men’s 15s programme, Cayman Rugby and Football Union (CRFU) President Derek Haines says the community is embracing it’s new found circumstances.

“It’s a really big step up for us if we can beat Guyana,” said Haines. “There’s quite a lot of excitement particularly among some of the old members from the union that want to see it down here. It will be a very excellent atmosphere in a smaller ground.”

The small venue, however, has it’s challenges. Most prominently, parking and seating. Haines says South Sound Rugby club can seat 200 spectators. With standing room at the clubhouse and impromptu seating, he hopes to see that double come game day.

“We probably wont get the same sort of crowd down here that we would have got at Truman Bodden ,” said Haines. “But a 500 crowd down here is huge.”

As for parking, Haines says they’ve made arrangements to accommodate as many rugby fans as possible. Landlords have offered space at both the Tennis and Squash Club, while colleagues have offered lot and road parking in addition to the 15 spots available on site.

“We are meeting our players and busing them in, so there won’t be 30 cars down here,” said Haines. “We have Red Bay Dock, two patches of land from one of our members. It would be nice if people would carpool as to not upset the neighbors and cause traffic.”

All in efforts to create what Haines says is a special home field advantage in hopes of a historic victory.

“It will be a create a tremendously intimate atmosphere,” he said. “I think it will be a great lift to our players, and a huge step for us if we can win this game.”