BVI vs USVI Rugby This Weekend
BVI Rugby will host two 12-a-side matches against the USVI at the A.O. Shirley Recreation Grounds this weekend, with the first game kicking off at 11:00 AM. The fixtures mark the first time BVI has been able to field a second squad and come ahead of a busy season that includes RAN 7s participation and a new national Rugby 7s championship.
BVI Rugby will welcome visiting coaches and players from the United States Virgin Islands for two 12-a-side matches at the A.O. Shirley Recreation Grounds this weekend, a fixture that organisers say is a milestone for the sport locally. “We are really excited about the development of the sport and encourage young people to come out to watch to see if it is something they would like to get involved in and represent the territory,” BVI Rugby Fixtures Secretary Tom Chapman said in a statement.
Chapman described the weekend as a “monumental moment for BVI sport” because it is the first time the territory has been able to put out a second squad on the rugby pitch. Thirty players are expected to represent the BVI across the two matches, with the opening kick-off scheduled for 11:00 AM.
The visiting USVI side will be playing its first match since Hurricane Irma in 2017. Chapman noted the long road to recovery for that programme: “Their team struggled to rebuild after the disaster.” BVI, by contrast, arrives on the back of two convincing wins this season — a 40-5 victory over Puerto Rico and a 37-29 win against the Turks and Caicos Islands — and is tipped to produce another strong showing.
Key players to watch include Keegan Fisher and Rossa Canavan, Chapman said. He also highlighted a trio of young players — Ejay Scatliffe, T'khoy John and Alex Wells — who are expected to make significant impacts in their senior rugby debuts, offering a glimpse of the next generation of BVI talent.
The matches form part of broader plans for rugby growth in the territory. BVI Rugby expects to appoint a new Rugby Development Officer and a National Team Coach in September, moves designed to strengthen coaching, talent pathways and community programmes. Looking further ahead, Chapman said the island hopes to send teams to World Rugby’s RAN 7s in late November.
A new Rugby 7s National Championship series is scheduled to begin in January 2027, with East, West, Central and Virgin Gorda expected to enter teams. That championship will both crown a national champion and act as a feeder system for the national squad that will represent the territory in regional tournaments.
Organisers are encouraging families and young people to attend at A.O. Shirley to support the players and consider taking part in rugby programmes as they expand across the territory.
Primary source: VINO