Having taken the Jamaica Under-19 Rugby programme on the proverbial new path, Head Coach Huntley Anderson is optimistic of a positive showing at the Rugby Americas North (RAN) tournament in Miami, Florida.

The 24-man squad, comprising all Corporate Area players and one Canada-based player, is scheduled to depart the island tomorrow for the tournament, which was formerly known as the North America Caribbean Rugby Association (NACRA).

The NACRA is the recognised body in the Americas responsible for rugby development under the International Rugby Board (IRB).

They regulate the representatives of the countries that partake in rugby America and the RAN is focused on getting into rugby, which most membership states wish to accomplish to expose youngsters to rugby.

The Jamaicans will get into action July 10 against St Lucia, before opposing tough teams of Guyana and The Bahamas, where victory would see them winning the trophy zone and propel them back into the premier cup competition.

They were automatically relegated to the trophy zone after missing last year’s staging of the premier cup competition, and Anderson is now tasked with getting them back to that level.

In the cup competition to be contested this time next year, the team would face off against teams such as Canada and the United States.

“For us this competition is really huge; my duty is to get back the team into the premier competition, because currently we are playing against Caribbean opponents. So the duty for me is to ensure that we organise and ensure that we at least finish second in the tournament in order to make it into the cup next year,” he told the Jamaica Observer in a recent interview at a training session at St George’s College.

“The perks for that (Cup) competition is that we are coming up on some World Cup qualifiers youth championships. So what you would find is that if it is that we would have qualified to play against the top opponents, it would give us a better opportunity to start preparing,” he added.

Anderson, who will secure his first cap as coach on the international stage, said the team has been in preparation mode since April, when they started out with 60 hopefuls before selecting the final squad.

“Our preparation has been great so far; basically what we have been doing is finalising our tactics in terms of game play. In terms of our style of play that we are working on, you will find that we are more of a contact team and that is basically what I am finalising for them now.

“So it is new waters for me, but I have no doubt that the boys will do well based on the style of rugby that we are bringing, because most of the Caribbean has the same challenge trying to get the boys to play contact rugby European style,” he explained.

Finally, Anderson pointed out that they have improved on their scrum, which is the front-row players who are normally big in body mass, and one of those players will be Stephan White from Canada as the only overseas-based player in the team.

“We have speed and persons expecting us to run the ball because that is our natural talent — speed. But we can’t play contact rugby and what I have done here in my coaching tenure is to basically get the boys to play contact rugby that is the form of an international style,” he noted.

The team will be supported in its venture by RAN in providing accommodation and some airfare, while the Jamaica Rugby Union (JRU) and members in the Diaspora will assist with the remainder of funds for airfare and meals.

Team: Tajae Wallace, Adrian Brown, Stephan White, Leonardo Mattis, Michael Beckford, Delano Jarrett, Atiba Wynter, Odane Lalor (captain), Mikel Facey, Adrian Christie, Renaldo McCarthy, Mark Simpson, Quamie Green, Miguel Facey (vice captain), Alpachino Mignott, Shemar Henry, Matthew Patterson, Ricardo Vickers, Alvin Gordon, Jaleel Watson, Jimel Watson, Rascheem Kitson, Oneil Murphy, Romeish Smith.