Rugby: Cable & Wireless Island Nations Cup |24 January 2024

Rugby actions will be back at Stad Popiler on Saturday (Photo: Roland Duval)

2024 season hits the ground on Saturday

After two successful seasons, the 2024 Cable & Wireless Island Nations Cup will kick off on Saturday at Stad Popiler with the league’s three opening matches.

Initially launched in 2022 as part of the Seychelles Rugby Union (SRU) campaign to revamp the sport discipline locally, the league progressed over the years, increasing from four teams in its initial season, to six last year.

The initial four-team league started with Seyboks (made up of South African expatriates), Seychelles (made up of locals), Madagascar (made up of Malagasy expatriates), and the International Barbarians (featuring all other nationalities presently residing, or working in Seychelles), while last year, following post-mortem of the 2022 season, the SRU decided to mix the teams, with the aim of making the competition friendlier, and also giving more players the opportunity to take part in a more sociable environment, rather than being limited to representing their country of origin.

Last season’s champions Sharks collected 10 wins in as many matches for a maximum 30 points, while Flying Foxes concluded the league as runners-up, collecting 21 points following seven wins and three defeats out of 10 matches played, scoring 372 points and conceding 242 for a nett 130.

Third overall in the league were Snappers who collected 15 points from five wins and five defeats. They scored 285 points, and conceded 372 for a nett -87, finishing ahead of Marlins who finished fourth on 12 points with four wins and six defeats out of their 10 league matches played, scoring 234 points and conceding 314 for a nett -80.

Fifth overall in the league were Black Parrots who collected a total six points from two wins and eight defeats, scoring 245 points, while conceding 359 for a net -114.

Also on six points from two victories and eight losses were Pirates who concluded the league last based on their inferior points’ difference. They scored 195, while conceding 331 for a nett -136 points.

Sharks’ Johannes Hanekom finished as the league’s top scorer with 93 points, followed by Guy Parsley of Flying Foxes who finished second with 83 points. Gift Muthami of the Black Parrots was the league’s third top scorer with 78 points, ahead of Hendrik Jan Moska of Snappers and Gael Esparon of Marlins who both scored 74 points.

In Saturday’s openers, defending champions Sharks will face off against the Pirates, while Flying Foxes will play against Marlins, while Black Parrots and Snappers will meet in the third match.

For the 2024 season, five of the teams have retained five players from last season’s squad, while the remaining players were put into a central pool for drafting.

According to the SRU’s chairman, Captain Luke Fonseka, the main reasons behind the decision are to ensure that there is a level playing field among all the six teams, to guarantee a high level of competition among teams, and to continue the SRU’s efforts towards inclusivity and building relationships beyond the field.

He said the only exception to the changes is Pirates, whose players have all gone into the central draft. Their new captain is Quintin Hiepner – the new full-time rugby coach for the union – who has selected a core of four players to compete for the Cable & Wireless Island Nations Cup.

Captain Fonseka also invited anyone who would like to join one of the squads to register their interest at seychellesrugby@gmail.com.

Both male and females of all ages are welcome.

The teams

Sharks captain Tyrone Abrosie – “Our unbeaten run last season is certainly a testament to the hard work and dedication of our team. As champions last season, our primary focus for the upcoming season is to build upon that success. While it is a challenging task to replicate an unbeaten season, we are optimistic about our capabilities and have confidence in our skills. Our goal is to maintain a high level of performance, strive for excellence and continue to make our supporters proud with every match. We understand the competitive nature of the league, but we are committed to working together as a team and approaching each game with determination and hopefully taking home a consecutive league win.”

Flying Foxes captain Guy Parsley – “Having been in Seychelles for only a couple of months and barely knowing a soul, I am very proud of the team that I ‘flukily’ picked. A group of people who turned out to be true teammates, showing great resilience and sportsmanship to one another in trying times. These qualities and attributes granted us a second-place finish in the league. Flying Foxes are hoping to go one step better this season now that we have a taste for the prized fruit.”

Red Snappers captain Hendrickjan Mosca – “Our biggest challenge last year was the consistency of the team. Individually we had some great players and sometimes we clicked really well together and other times we did not play as we should have as a team. We have lost one of our star players this season so we hope to backfill the squad with some strength in depth and hopefully we will be more consistent this coming season.”

Marlins captain Kevin Etienne-Cummings – “I am excited. Last season showed that the Marlins got better as the season progressed. I am looking forward to seeing what we can do this season.”

Black Parrots vice-captain Guy Jeremie – “Last season was good for us although we experienced some communication problems in getting players together and sharing of information. Those players in the team who were able to attend all of the games were determined at all times, even though we were missing keys players here and there.We did feel that some of the other teams were more superior and we felt that at times there was an inconsistency with the refereeing. Generally, we enjoyed the season, but this year we want to make a big impact and finish higher than we did last season which was in fifth.”

Pirates captain Quintin Hiepner – “I am really happy and excited to be part of this league and captaining the Pirates. We will look to hit the ground running and build good momentum from the word go. We intend to put wind in our sails and as captain I will look to steer Pirates in the right direction as we chase down victory after victory. Coming in last place last season means we have nothing to lose and will be gunning for gold.”

Compiled by Roland Duval/ The Seychelles Rugby Union