It was a challenging weekend of international rugby for Saint Lucia’s national and youth representative sides, which ended in two lopsided losses against higher-ranked opposition. But rugby officials across the island country are framing the results as a critical stepping stone for long-term growth, particularly for the program’s rising young academy talent.
The back-to-back matches unfolded on Saturday evening at the Francis Baba Lastic Playing Field, located in the northern Saint Lucian district of Gros Islet. In the opening 15-a-side friendly fixture, Saint Lucia’s under-20 youth side went head-to-head with Martinique’s under-19 squad, with 8 local players earning their first under-20 international caps in the contest. By the final whistle, Martinique claimed a 45-10 victory over the young home side.
In the headline cross-tier Test match organized by Rugby Americas North, Saint Lucia’s senior men’s national team faced a formidable Jamaican side. The encounter ended in an 82-0 win for the visiting Caribbean rugby powerhouse, marking a difficult result for the home side.
Despite the one-sided scorelines, the Saint Lucia Rugby Football Union (SLRFU) has emphasized that the outcomes do not overshadow the clear progress both squads demonstrated over the course of the fixtures. Officials say the performances stand as proof that the country’s ongoing rugby development program is delivering tangible success for emerging players.
Wayne Pantor, technical director for the SLRFU, noted that the program’s up-and-coming athletes gained irreplaceable match experience competing against seasoned international opposition. This exposure, he explained, is a foundational component of accelerating individual player progression and strengthening the overall standing of rugby across the island’s local sporting ecosystem.
Wedrel St Clair, head coach of Saint Lucia’s senior national side, echoed that sentiment, noting that while the final results were far from what the squad hoped for, the effort shown by young players integrated into the senior setup confirms that the program is moving in the right direction. “We are investing in our youth, and these experiences will pave the way for stronger performances in the future,” St Clair said.
Looking ahead, Saint Lucia’s rugby program has a full slate of upcoming fixtures lined up to continue this developmental momentum. The youth under-20 side is scheduled to travel to Martinique on June 20 for a much-anticipated return friendly match. Beyond that fixture, both the senior men’s side and the national women’s sevens team are set to compete against a collection of French Caribbean teams in coming months.
For the women’s sevens squad, these upcoming matches serve as critical preparation for two major upcoming events. Saint Lucia is set to host the annual Carnival Sevens tournament starting July 31, after which the side will travel to Trinidad & Tobago to compete in the Rugby Americas North Regional Qualifiers in November, a key tournament that shapes regional sevens rankings and qualification pathways for larger global competitions.