After winning the opening Ruggerama festival last weekend, Harvard will chase another title this year when it takes on Caribs RFC for the Robert Farfan Memorial Cup today at the Harvard Ground, Queen’s Park Savannah, Port-of- Spain.
The Cup which is held in honour of former Northerns rugby player Robert Farfan, who passed away many years ago, is contested between the winner of the Championship Division League and winner of the Championship Division Knock-Out titles from the previous year.
Harvard won the League title in 2017 and in an attempt to retain it, the club began training earlier this year, Anthony Loregnard, a former club president told Guardian Media Sports yesterday.
“The team wants to work on improving its fitness this season, as well as ensure that players get into momentum quickly. From that standpoint we are ready for today’s match,” Loregnard said.
He noted that the club will also try to replicate its performances and earnings like the 2012 rugby season in which it won almost every title that was at stake. “This year we want to have a similar season, we took almost everything that was at stake in the various competitions,” Loregnard said.
In addition to the championship and senior divisions, there is also a knock-out competition, a Women’s division and an under-18 category.
Harvard’s opponent Caribs will be hoping to rebound from a disappointing fourth-place finish at the ruggerama play-offs. The match will essentially kick-start the League with another match-up scheduled for tomorrow between Northerns and Royalians from 3 pm at the same venue.
Meanwhile, Senior Division action gets underway next weekend with four matches. In the line-up - Caribs will be up against Rydeus, UWI/Tobago against Rainbow, and Defence Force having a date with Exiles.
All matches start at 4.30 pm.
WALTER ALIBEY
