Rugby coaches level up in Las Vegas
TWO OF Jamaica’s budding Rugby Union coaches will return to the island today from Las Vegas, Nevada, where they went to gain level-two certification for coaching Rugby Sevens.
National Men’s Under-19 coach Huntley Anderson and Jamaica Senior Women’s team coach Lisa Fraser are the duo who had made the trip as the Jamaica Rugby Football Union (JRFU) makes plans ahead of its men’s and women’s senior teams participation in the 2017 Cathay Pacific/HSBC Hong Kong Sevens tournament from April 7-9.
Anderson and Fraser travelled with the intention of improving on game analysis for player development and functional roles; tactical and technical development of senior and national teams, especially those that are on the world circuit, as Jamaica is looking to become a permanent member.
“This sevens level two will further allow me to target player development in the Under-19 age group, producing better players for the senior pool, which is needed,” Anderson told The Gleaner. “The experience that I’ve gained from level one, and will gain from level two, shows me that even though I’m tactically qualified, I still have a long way to go.” “I feel very honoured to be selected to represent Jamaica and the women (in the Jamaican Rugby Union),” Fraser said. Fraser, who was also the Rugby Sportswoman of the year for 2016, said she intends to share what she has learnt from the clinic with other local coaches, so that the sport can continue to grow in schools and clubs islandwide. “I plan to impart the knowledge I expect to gain not just to players, but also to other coaches. Two of the ways in which I will be doing that is through training sessions and also workshops, which will be done across the entire island. It will not be passed on to one set of people, but also newcomers and those who have been involved for a long time. We’ll be sharing all that knowledge with everyone on our return,” she said.