BERMUDA is starting to see the benefits of a young group of rugby players coming into the national ranks.

Earlier this month the Island's national sevens team won the New York Sevens title on Randall's Island winning the final 38-7 over the previously unbeaten Buffalo RFC.

And helping the team to the title were two young Bermudians ? 17-year-old Neville Zuill and 18-year-old James Bergle.

National coach Alvin Harvey said: "Some of these young guys are showing a lot of potential and hopefully we will see more young Bermudians coming through since we have started programmes in a few of the schools ? Warwick Academy, Saltus and Sandys."

Of Zuill who is the youngest in the squad, Harvey said: "He plays for Mariners now and although he is only 17-years-old he is showing a lot of potential. He is still very green but with more experience in the game he can become a very good player. He plays out on the wing and I have been very impressed with him. He seems to enjoy the game ? we put him in some of the games in New York to see how he would perform and he did especially well considering it was his first time with the team. He is a lump of clay ? he just has to get moulded. And he certainly has some pace to him ? he has wheels."

Harvey also praised Bergle. "James has a bit more experience in the game since he has been playing rugby in school in England. He is a big six-foot four-inch strapping guy and like Neville he is showing a lot of potential as is Harry Andrews who is fairly new to the game and played in New York." Harvey said much of the praise for bringing Zuill along in the game must go to Keith Hodgkins. "Keith, who plays for Mariners, has been working with the guys at Warwick Academy ? he has sort of adopted the players from that school and he is showing the young fellows the game. Neville has come out of the programme Keith started at Warwick Academy. Neville started playing for Mariners this season and we decided it was time to give these young guys a chance to get involved with the national team. They are enthusiastic and hungry."

Zuill said: "I played for the Bermuda Under 19s this past summer in Philadelphia but playing in the New York tournament was the first time with the senior national squad. I really enjoyed it but when you play for the senior national squad other teams take no prisoners ? they really hit hard."

Zuill said he picked the game up about three years ago. "We played it in the gym (at Warwick) and our gym teacher didn't know too much about rugby so Ketih Hodgkins came in and taught us. He told us we had some potential so we put a team together. And we have just got better and better and once we were old enough (17) we joined the clubs here ? we got a chance to play with the big boys."

Of his position on the wing, he said: "I think I fit in there fairly well there because I am quite quick. And also playing with the national team is a step up."

The five-foot 11-inch winger is also hoping to add some weight to his speedy frame when he goes to college. "Right now I am in the sixth form at Warwick but when I go to college I hope to bulk up a bit ? right now I only weigh 170 pounds."

Zuill said he is trying to encourage other young Bermudians to take up the game. "I would like to see them start in middle school so that once they get to high school they will know more about the game and then when they reach 17 years of age they can join one of the Island's clubs."

And Zuill said that although his mom worried about the physical contact of rugby, he has not been injured ? yet. "I know I will at some point but I tell people that you do not get as injured as you might think in rugby."

Although he thought the game, initially, was rather barbaric, he has since learned differently.

"There is a lot of thinking you have to do in the game. You have to be smart to play well. It is all about strategy. I like the sevens game more because I think it requires a bit more finesse. You have to have quick thinking and you have to be fast."

And he believes that Bermuda's Under 19 team could put together a good sevens team. "Between the players at Warwick and Saltus, I think there is some talent there. Mr. Hodgkins has really been helping us in every way he can."

He also enjoys the sport for the friendships made. "It is a sport you can play for long time. Some of these guys play into their 40s. It is also great how you can go out on the field and be enemies and then after the game you are friends with each other. Not many other sports have that."

One of his favourite players in Bermuda is national skipper Derek (Bobby) Hurdle. "He is awesome ? he is so strong and fast. He is someone to definitely learn from. You only have to watch him play to see what he can do."

Coach Harvey said that Bermuda will be slowly building up for the World Sevens qualifying tournament which kicks off this summer in the Cayman Islands. He said: "The Cayman Sevens qualifying is in June. The tournament in New York earlier this month was just a warm up ? just to see where we are at. We will go into a sevens programme in the new year. We will be hoping to play against some good foreign opposition. Training will start in January and then we will have a couple of games overseas at other tournaments and we are also trying to organise a tournament in May in Bermuda ? we want to invite a few good teams down so that will give us some time to blend together and see how good we are. Hopefully we will be playing some higher calibre teams."

The June tournament in the Caymans will involve islands in the Caribbean. If Bermuda win that then they go on to the next level.