Bajans’ Rugby Cup run ends

Barbados’ Sean Ward (second right) being challenged by Guyana’s Avery Corbin (No. 5) and Ryan Hinkson. At left is Nico Blunt. Picture by Kenmore Bynoe.)

By Justin Marville | Mon, May 21, 2012 - 12:03 AM

Barbados' World Cup run is finished.

Even after Dario Stoute’s highlights seemed like they wouldn’t ever.

The speedy full back had a pair of electrifying tries but the national rugby side just about ran out of luck after failing to advance out of the NACRA Caribbean South zone following Saturday’s 10-10 test thriller against Guyana at the Garrison Savannah.

The home side was let down by a woeful kicking performance, which included a pair of failed conversion attempts and a missed penalty.

Not that Guyana were any better.

The tourists also shanked both of their conversion attempts following two comeback tries before blowing what would’ve been the game-winning drop kick just five yards in front of the bars.

It proved the disastrous end of a promising late-game drive for Guyana, who held possession in Barbados’ half for the last ten minutes after being stopped yards shy of the try line at least three times.

However, Ryan Hinkson did manage to punch it in from two yards out for the game-tying score despite playing against a disciplined defence that missed little tackles.

This was after it took just seconds into the second half for Barbados to go ahead 10-5, as Stoute scored on the opening kickoff. The drive started rather unsuspectingly too, with captain Dwight Forde catching the kick before passing to Omar Bynoe, who found a nice seam while attacking the middle of the field. And his aggressive move left the whole right flank open for Stoute to romp uncontested for the spectacular go-ahead score.

But that had nothing on his first run.

Going against the run of play, Stoute pounced on a loose ball in his own half of the field before turning hard up the field and leaving multiple players in his wake after a Guyana player failed to field a short kick from the hosts.

However, Barbados gifted a try right back, having lost possession near their opponents’ try line prior to Rodwell Hutson going the length of the field for the equalising score only seconds shy of the half-time whistle.

“We played well actually considering this morning we didn’t know what was going to happen because there seems to be a bug going around and five people or so weren’t available,” said head coach Dennis Hargreaves.

“We brought in a couple of the under-19s and they acquitted themselves very well so I think it is a very credible performance."