Q&A with RAN Commentator Kelson Figaro

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.

 

  1. How long have you been a commentator?

7 years.

  1. 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.

  1. Why rugby?

Mainly because I am a former rugby player.

  1. Most memorable commentating moment?

Working at the RAN World Cup Qualifiers in the Bahamas – commentating on the Women’s Final was a huge highlight.

  1. 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.

  1. Have you commentated a RAN Tournament before?

Yes. My first time commentating a RAN Tournament was in Barbados in 2018.

  1. 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.

  1. 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.

  1. 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.

  1. 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