The Turks & Caicos Islands scored a last minute win over the Dominican Republic on Saturday. The 24-20 victory saw the home side dig deep in the opening match of the 2019 Rugby Americas North (RAN) North Cup.
Played at Grace Bay the fixture was the first test match for both the Turks & Caicos Islands, and the Dominican Republic in 2019. They are joined by the British Virgin Islands in this year’s RAN North Cup.
The three island nations make up 50% of the 2019 RAN Cup. The remaining competitors for the South Cup which was won by Martinique due to wins over Barbados, and Curaçao.
In a different format in 2018 the Dominican Republic finished 2nd in the RAN Cup, falling to Guadeloupe in the final game. One year earlier the Dominican Republic and the Turks & Caicos Islands squared-off with the Turks & Caicos Islands being 24-15 winners.
2019 RAN CUP FIXTURES
South Cup
March 16: Martinique 43-19 Barbados
March 23: Martinique 39-0 Curaçao
April 06: Barbados 55-7 Curaçao
North Cup
April 13: Turks & Caicos Islands 24-20 Dominican Republic
May 04: British Virgin Islands vs. Turks & Caicos
TBA: Dominican Republic vs British Virgin Islands