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Ranni Samuda: How Gloucester-Hartpury prop helped kick-start Jamaica's women's rugby team

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Published in Rugby
Wednesday, 22 March 2023 01:30

A chance meeting at a summer music festival is not typically where international sports teams are created.

But when Gloucester-Hartpury prop Ranni Samuda went to Bournemouth 7s Festival in 2018, it helped get the ball rolling for Jamaica's women's rugby team.

Samuda was watching their men's team and saw team manager Hughton Campbell.

"I just wandered into the tent and said 'do you have a women's team?'" Samuda told BBC Radio Gloucestershire's No Tackle podcast.

"At the time they didn't and he said it was something he was looking into getting set up."

Samuda, who born in England and has Jamaican heritage, stayed in contact with Campbell and has since been there each step of the way over the last five years as the Caribbean island's women's rugby scene has grown.

Later that summer in 2018, Samuda played in the Richmond Sevens tournament in a team alongside other British-Jamaican women.

"We kind of just made up a Baba's [Barbarians] team, put on a Jamaican shirt and played sevens," Samuda said.

By 2019 Samuda was invited to play as part of a Jamaican 10s team in a Rugby America's North tournament (RAN) in Barbados, featuring a mix of players based all over the world.

But the Covid-19 pandemic struck and, for a couple of years, growth slowed with Samuda describing the period as "two years of not a lot".

'Just ask the question'

Last year, with sport fully back under way, Jamaica was awarded hosting duties of the RAN tournament and the squad size for the women's team had been upped from 10s to 12s.

Samuda was invited to play again.

"I played that last summer and they have always been angling towards getting a woman's 15s team set up. Hugh has really pushed for it since we got back from Jamaica," Samuda said.

"He set up a friendly with England Deaf, who we played a few weeks ago. Jordan Russell [Gloucester-Hartpury team-mate] came and played.

"He managed to get 25 players in the end - all British-born Jamaican heritage girls, and we won."

While Samuda admitted it will likely be a "few years" before the team is internationally recognised for caps, she is hopeful.

This summer's RAN tournament is being held in Jamaica again, with the women's team now fielding a full 15-player squad.

"It is amazing and it's getting there. As long as they can walk before they can run they're going to be all right," Samuda said.

"It just goes to show what happens when you ask the question initially. Just ask the question."

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