August 26, 2021 – Today, Rugby Americas North (RAN) confirmed the 11 men’s teams set to compete in its 2021 RAN Sevens in Providenciales, Turks and Caicos from October 16-17.Held at the picturesque Meridian Fields, the two-day tournament marks the highly anticipated return to international competition from the COVID-19 global pandemic.The tournament also acts as a qualifier for next year’s World Rugby Sevens Challenger Series, with the winning side gaining the opportunity to compete for the 16th and final spot on the HSBC World Rugby Sevens Series. Dates and details for that competition have yet to be announced.Rivals Jamaica and Mexico, who both competed earlier this year in the World Rugby Tokyo 2020 Olympic repechage in Monaco, head into the tournament as arguable favourites. The two sides finished the 2019 RF Group Sevens as silver (Jamaica) and bronze (Mexico) medal winners behind Canada at Truman Bodden Sports Complex two years ago.Barbados will be looking to build off their impressive performance this past weekend at the RugbyTown 7s at Infinity Park in Glendale, Colorado. Coach Joe Whipple’s team bowed out of the tournament in the Bowl Semi-Final with an overall 2-3 record and impressive wins over USA Airforce and North American Lions.Cayman Islands, who hosted the tournament in 2019, will be looking for an improved performance from their 5th place finish two years ago. CRFU delighted their hometown fans with a Shield Final win over an experienced Guyana side who showed their brilliance throughout the weekend.Bermuda and Guyana both took part in the 2019 event, finishing in 4th and 6th place respectively. Guyana finished the 2018 event as silver medal winners, losing to Jamaica in the Cup Final, while Bermuda won the bronze medal.https://twitter.com/RugbyAmericasN/status/1427288077035204608?s=20Belize is set to make history in October as they will make their RAN Sevens debut after joining RAN in 2019 as a Member Union. “The Macaws” will be eager to impress on the international stage.With Meridian Field allowing spectators throughout the event, tournament hosts, Turks and Caicos, will be hoping their home-field advantage and local support will provide them with an added boost over the weekend.British Virgin Islands, Curaçao and the Dominican Republic return to the competition for the first time since the 2018 RTEK Sevens held in Barbados. Dominican Republic finished in the highest position that year amongst the three nations, losing to Barbados on the 7th place final.The entire tournament will be streamed live on RAN’s website, with scores, highlights, daily recaps, and other tournament content posted on RAN’s Facebook, Twitter and Instagram. Pools and tournament schedule will be announced closer to the tournament.On the women’s side, Mexico has already qualified for the World Rugby Women’s Sevens Challenger Series in 2022.Niall Brooks – RAN General Manager“After more than two years since our last Sevens competition, we are excited to confirm the 11 men’s teams that will compete at our 2021 RAN Sevens in Turks and Caicos in October.“This tournament is a part of the direct pathway for teams in the Caribbean to qualify for the HSBC World Rugby Sevens Series, and we know that interest in getting back on the field is incredibly high amongst our unions.“We are expecting a high-level of competition over the two days and look forward to crowning a winner that will represent our region next year.”
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