BY CARL SPENCE, STAR Writer

THE JAMAICA RUGBY Union (JRU) treated the Under-19 team to lunch on Tuesday at the Pollyanna Restaurant following their recent success in the Caribbean Under-19 Championships hosted in Guyana.

The lunch, which was held a day after the players returned to the Island, sought to acknowledge the players for their historic feat of capturing the championship for the first time in the eight years it has been staged.

The JRU also acknowledged its sponsors, Sun Island and Solar Powered Systems, among others, for the role they played in making the trip to Guyana a success.

Speaking at the conference, Rohan Stewart, public relations officer of the JRU, noted that the team performed up to expectation.

"The only thing that was disappointing was the officiating in the U.S.A match which got to the heads of the players and kind of throw them off their game, but overall the trip went exceptionally well," he said.

The tournament took the form of a three-in-one format where the Caribbean Islands were playing for the Caribbean Championship while competing against countries from North America who were vying for the North American and West Indian Rugby Association (NAWIRA) Championships. The NAWIRA also serves as a qualifier for the Rugby World Cup to be played in South Africa later this year.

The NAWIRA is given two spots each year in the World Cup. However, this year, the Caribbean and USA were left to battle for one spot after Canada's creditable showing at last year's tournament guaranteed them an automatic spot. Jamaica finished second in the NAWIRA Championships behind winners USA, ruling them out of the World Cup finals but their placing ensured they did not come home empty-handed as they finished ahead of host and third-place Guyana by way of superior points for and against. Trinidad and Tobago followed by the Cayman Islands rounded off the top five.