With the 2022 Rugby Americas North (RAN) Men’s Under-19 and Senior Women’s 12s Tournament just around the corner, we sat down for a rapid-fire session with 38-year-old commentator Kelson Figaro from Trinidad and Tobago.
The Tournament is an important development tool for rugby players in the region. For many of the U-19s players, it will officially mark their first time competing internationally. For the Women’s 12s teams, it is a major development milestone, after competing for the past five years in the 10s.
Read Kelson’s perspective on commentating the highly-anticipated upcoming event in Jamaica and get the inside scoop into his life of rugby commentary.
- How long have you been a commentator?
7 years.
- How were you introduced to commentating?
I was at a rugby match and the local cable station needed help covering a game. I thought it would be something interesting to do so I tried it out.
- Why rugby?
Mainly because I am a former rugby player.
- Most memorable commentating moment?
Working at the RAN World Cup Qualifiers in the Bahamas – commentating on the Women’s Final was a huge highlight.
- Who is your favourite commentator and why?
Sean Maloney. He is a very interesting commentator.
You can hear that he loves what he does and his personality always comes through in his work.
- Have you commentated a RAN Tournament before?
Yes. My first time commentating a RAN Tournament was in Barbados in 2018.
- What are you most looking forward to about the RAN Tournament in Jamaica?
I am looking forward to seeing the women play in the 12s Tournament – it’s something that I have never seen before.
- Why are tournaments like this so important for the development of rugby in the region?
These tournaments expose our players to a higher level of rugby and help to continue to develop the sport further.
- Who do you think will be the team/s to watch?
It is difficult to pick, given that we are only now coming out of the pandemic and rugby hasn’t really been played much.
For the men – I’ll be watching Mexico as well as the USA South team. Also, I anticipate the teams from Trinidad and Tobago and Jamaica will be very competitive.
With the women – Again, USA South, Trinidad and Tobago, and Jamaica will be the ones to watch for me.
- Your ‘dream game’ to commentate?
A HSBC Cup Final in Hong Kong – Fiji vs. New Zealand.
Match Schedule (kick off times are EST)
Thursday July 14th – Men’s Under-19s:
9.00 am. – Pool A: México v Cayman Islands
10.0 am. – Pool B: USA South v Jamaica
12.30 pm – Pool A: Bermuda v Mexico
1.30 pm – Pool B: Trinidad & Tobago v USA South
4.00 pm – Pool A: Cayman Islands v Bermuda
5.00 pm – Pool B: Jamaica v Trinidad & Tobago
Friday July 15th – Men’s Under-19s and Women’s 12s:
8.00 am. – U19s: 1st Pool A v 3rd Pool B
9.00 am. – U19s: 1st Pool B v 3rd Pool A
10.00 am – Women’s 12s: Jamaica v Trinidad & Tobago
10.50 am – Women’s 12s: USA South v St Lucia
11.40 am – U19s: 2nd Pool B v 3rd Pool B
12.40 pm – U19s: 2nd Pool A v 3rd Pool A
1.40 pm – Women’s 12s: Dominican Republic v Trinidad & Tobago
2.30 pm – Women’s 12s: USA South v Cayman Islands
3.20 pm – U19s: 1st Pool A v 2nd Pool B
4.20 pm – U19s: 1st Pool B v 2nd Pool A
5.20 pm – Women’s 12s: Jamaica v Dominican Republic
6.10 pm – Women’s 12s: Cayman Islands v St. Lucia
Saturday July 16th – Women’s 12s:
Match 1: 10.00 am. – 1st Pool A v 2nd Pool B
Match 2: 10.50 am. – 1St Pool B v 2nd Pool A
Match 3: 11.40 pm – 3rd Pool A v 3rd Pool B
Match 4: 3.00 pm – Loser Match 1 v Loser Match 3
Match 5: 3.50 pm – Loser Match 2 v Winner Match 3
Match 6: 4.40 pm – Winner Match 1 v Winner Match 2 – Championship Final
Sunday July 17th – Men’s Under-19s:
12.00 am. – 3rd Pool 1 v 3rd Pool 2
1.30 am. – 2nd Pool 1 v 2nd Pool 2 – Bronze Medal Final
3.00 pm – 1st Pool 1 v 1st Pool 2 – Championship Final
