Saint Vincent and the Grenadines represents Saint Vincent and the Grenadines in international rugby union as the men's national team. It is ranked 81st in the world, as of 16 January 2023.[2]
The St. Vincent and the Grenadines Rugby Union (SVGRU) came into existence on Sunday 18 January 1998, when the first game of touch rugby was played at the Sion Hill playing field using four traffic cones as pitch markers.
It all came about following a chance conversation. This stimulated an expatriate Englishman, John Townend, to return form his Christmas vacation in 1997 with plenty of enthusiasm and two rugby balls. John Townend contacted two Antipodean expatriates: Kelly Glass, a highly accomplished rugby player from South Island, New Zealand, and Geoff Hyde, an Australian tourism adviser, suggesting a game of touch rugby the following Sunday morning. There were seven players at the first game: Carver Alexander, Ernst De Freitas, Kelly Glass, Kirk Hobson-Garcia, Geoff Hyde, John Townend and Delon Williams, a local Rastafarian who later became known as “Speedy”.
After playing for two hours, the group retired to Villa Beach with a crate of beer, to re-hydrate (any excuse would do) and to soothe aching muscles in the sea. Rugby had been introduced to St. Vincent.
From the early days there was a strong interest from girls, who took an instant liking to the idea of “touch” rugby. The games then continued every Sunday, and it was soon found that between Kirk, Kelly, Andrew, and Scott Hadley that there were already some excellent and accomplished players on the island. In addition, they were able to attract other good players, namely Derek Hadley who was visiting from Australia and Father Pope Faifal from Samoa, working with the Catholic mission. In terms of the girls, Jackie De Freitas soon joined, together with some Canadianvolunteers, namely Janice Madill and Lisa Lilajehto. One other girl who was to become a big favourite was Loretta “Hot Lips” Skrok. She became notorious for her trick of taking a swig of strong rum and “flame throwing” at parties. Peace Corps Volunteers Becky Buster and Maria Caluag also became great team members. The local ranks were swelled by the contribution of Lorna “Turbo” Williams from Overland in the Carib community, Delia King from Calliaqua and Yvonne Bakker from Kingstown.
In the early days they were definitely seen as an expatriate group of Americans, Australians, British, Canadians, New Zealanders, Trinidadians, Samoans, and a few Vincentians. Rugby was definitely perceived as a white man's sport and a relatively rough game at that. It was soon expanded to playing on Wednesday afternoons as the numbers rose and transferred Sunday practices to Saturday. Despite the expatriate character it was the Vincentians, notably Andrew Hadley and Jackie De Freitas who took the early lead in developing the club, with help from Geoff Hyde.
SVG Rugby has a significant history of developing home grown talent. In the amateur era the female structure was highly successful, producing a large number of first team players and internationals. In the transition to the professional era it was recognized that a clear development program was needed to develop “complete” players capable of playing professional rugby at the highest level. A key difference between amateur and professional rugby is the physical demands placed on players.
They decided to call the team Amazona Guildingii after the rare and graceful Vincentian parrot, and selected the national colours of green, yellow and blue for their jerseys and shorts. Soon afterwards those that could afford it, purchased their own uniforms. Their motto is to "Strive to excellence and keep on striving til the end."
Matches and results
The first game ever played was against the British Royal NavydestroyerHMSNewcastle, on 8 February 1998. The game was won by the home side.
Saint Vincent and the Grenadines attempted to qualify for the 2007 Rugby World Cup in France, playing the first match of the Americas qualifying tournament. They played a preliminary qualifier against Saint Lucia in May 2005. The winner would progress to the South Pool of Round 1a, however, Saint Lucia won the match 36-25.
On March 29, 2008, Saint Vincent was defeated by Mexico 47-7 in a pre-qualifier for the right to enter the NAWIRA region qualifying process for Rugby World Cup 2011.
Saint Vincent and the Grenadines is an island country in the Caribbean. It is located in the southeast Windward Islands of the Lesser Antilles, which lie in the West Indies at the southern end of the eastern border of the Caribbean Sea where the latter meets the Atlantic Ocean.
The Saint Vincent and the Grenadines national football team represents Saint Vincent and the Grenadines in men's international football. It is controlled by the Saint Vincent and the Grenadines Football Federation.
The Saint Lucia national football team represents Saint Lucia in men's international football and is administered by the Saint Lucia Football Association, the governing body for football in Saint Lucia. They have been a member of FIFA since 1988 and a member of CONCACAF since 1986.
The 2005 Caribbean Cup was the thirteenth edition of the Caribbean Cup hosted by Barbados and won by Jamaica. In all, 30 countries were invited, of which, 22 participated and 8 withdrew.
Saint Vincent and the Grenadines Rugby Union is the governing body for rugby union in Saint Vincent and the Grenadines. It is considered a Tier 3 rugby nation by World Rugby of which it is a full member. It is also a member of the Rugby Americas North (RAN). Saint Vincent and the Grenadines men's and women's teams compete regionally against other teams in this group.
The 'Southern Caribbean is a group of islands that neighbor mainland South America in the West Indies. Saint Lucia lies to the north of the region, Barbados in the east, Trinidad and Tobago at its southernmost point, and Aruba at the most westerly section.
The Saint Vincent and the Grenadines cricket team is a cricket team representing Saint Vincent and the Grenadines and is a member of the Windward Islands Cricket Board of Control. For cricketing purposes, players from Saint Vincent and the Grenadines generally represent the Windward Islands at domestic level and the West Indies at international level. However, the St Vincent & Grenadines team did appear four times in its own right at List A level in the 2002–03 Red Stripe Bowl, the domestic one day competition. The team had also played as a separate entity in matches which held Twenty20 status and they continues to compete in domestic Windward Islands cricket competitions including the Windward Islands two-day and Twenty20 cricket championships.
Canouan Airport is the airport located on the island of Canouan in St. Vincent and the Grenadines. The airport serves the surrounding tourist areas and environs of the Grenadines and is a major destination during the Caribbean winter leisure season. Aside from facilitating regular passenger flights, the airport is also open for international corporate jet operations and charter flights. Canouan Airport was the main business aviation airport in St. Vincent and the Grenadines before the opening of Argyle International Airport. The terminal has a CIP lounge and other facilities for international passengers and a domestic hub for St. Vincent and the Grenadines. It is the second largest airport in St. Vincent and the Grenadines, after Argyle International Airport. The airport often served as the alternate airport for E.T. Joshua Airport, now a decommissioned airport in St. Vincent and other Grenadines airports.
Rugby union in St Lucia is a minor but growing sport. They are currently ranked 80th by the IRB.
Myron Samuel is a Vincentian international footballer who last played for Seattle Sounders FC 2 in the USL. Samuel is one of the youngest players to play and to score for Saint Vincent and the Grenadines.
Argyle International Airport is an international airport on the island of Saint Vincent in the Caribbean nation of Saint Vincent and the Grenadines. It is located in Argyle, about 5.17 miles (8.32 km) from the capital Kingstown.
During the 2012 Summer Olympics in London, United Kingdom, Saint Vincent and the Grenadines appeared in their seventh consecutive Summer Olympics. The country sent three competitors to their team with wild card entries. Athlete Kineke Alexander reprised her role as the nation's flag bearer for the second time at the opening ceremony. As Alexander entered her second Olympics, athlete Courtney Carl Williams and swimmer Tolga Akcayli debuted at the 2012 Olympics. For Saint Vincent and the Grenadines, none of the country's competitors advanced past their individual heats. In overall standings, Akcayli had the highest 2012 Olympic finish for Saint Vincent and the Grenadines when he placed 45th in the men's 50 metre freestyle.
Indo-Vincentians are an ethnic group in Saint Vincent and the Grenadines who are mainly descendants of indentured laborers who came in the late 19th century to the early 20th century and entrepreneurs who began immigrating in the mid-20th century from the Indian subcontinent. There are about 5,900 people of Indian origin living in the country.
Oalex Anderson is a Vincentian professional footballer who plays for North Carolina FC in USL League One and the Saint Vincent and the Grenadines national team. Anderson is known by the nickname "Bounty" for his prolific goal scoring.
Ellaisa Marquis is a Saint Lucian footballer who plays as a midfielder for the Saint Lucia women's national team, and has led the team as captain for many years. In 2019, Saint Lucia Star called her Saint Lucia's "marquis player" in women's football. Marquis was awarded the Senior Female Footballer of the Year for 2015 by the St Lucia Football Association (SLFA).
The qualification process for the 2019 Rugby World Cup in Japan began during the pool stages of the 2015 tournament in England, during which the top three teams from each of the four pools were awarded automatic qualification for the 2019 event. A further eight teams qualified through regional, cross-regional tournaments and the repechage process.
Diel Reon Spring is a Vincentian footballer who plays as a midfielder for Polish side Podlasie Biała Podlaska and the Saint Vincent and the Grenadines national team.
Urtis Orlando Blackett is a Saint Vincentian retired international footballer who played as a goalkeeper.
The COVID-19 pandemic in Saint Vincent and the Grenadines is part of the ongoing global viral pandemic of coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19), which was confirmed to have reached Saint Vincent and the Grenadines in March 2020. The first confirmed case was discovered on 11 March 2020.
Peggy Carr is a Vincentian journalist, poet, and diplomat. Now based in Taiwan, she has served as a representative of Saint Vincent and the Grenadines in the country.
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25–36 
Saint Lucia 
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51–0 
