Jamaica and Mexico will compete at a Rugby World Cup Sevens tournament for the first time in the men’s and women’s competitions respectively after being crowned Rugby Americas North (RAN) Sevens champions.
Both sides had to dig deep to get a ticket to next year’s San Francisco showpiece, with Jamaica’s men needing a last-minute match-winner to see off the threat of pre-tournament favourites Guyana in the final, while the Mexican women overcame a loss in their second game to pull through.
In addition to playing at RWC Sevens 2018, the sides also qualified for the 2018 Central American and Caribbean Sports Organisation (CACSO) Games, Commonwealth Games and the HSBC World Rugby Sevens Series qualifier in Hong Kong next April.
Jamaica scored 61 points without conceding any in reply in wins over the Dominican Republic and Bermuda to top Pool B. Guyana and hosts Mexico finished top of the pile in the other two pools.
Having beaten the Cayman Islands in a two-point game in the quarter-finals, Jamaica ended Mexico’s hopes of a home final with a 26-12 win in the semis. Ultimately, Mexico had to settle for the bronze medal, after beating Trinidad and Tobago for the second time in the space of two days, while Jamaica met six-time holders Guyana for top honours.
It looked as though Guyana would be the team to make it to San Francisco, but Jamaica’s Conan Osborne ended their dream and sparked wild scenes of celebration among his own team when he crossed in the dying seconds to snatch an historic 28-24 victory.
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