Jamie Barnwell is aiming to sign off in style as the head coach of the men’s national 15s rugby squad with victory over Gibraltar on Sunday.

After four years at the helm, Barnwell has confirmed he will be stepping down from his role after his side take on the fellow British overseas territory in a match that will take place before Canada take on Lions Legends as part of the World Rugby Classic.

The opportunity to bow out as part of the prestigious event could prove a fitting finale for the head coach, who also has the extra incentive of exacting revenge on Gibraltar after they prevailed in the previous meeting between the sides in 2019.

“This will be the last game I coach the 15s,” said Barnwell, who confirmed that he will be staying on in his capacity with the Sevens squad as they aim to qualify for next year’s Hong Kong Sevens.

“Other than the Classic, one of the few teams I have lost against with the 15s was Gibraltar and so it is a bit of a grudge match for me. I wanted to help this crop of players one last time before I step away from the 15s so you could say it’s kind of like the last dance for me.”

Having made their mark in the Classic last year, beating Canada 20-5 in their opening encounter much to the delight of the home crowd, Barnwell is relishing the opportunity to again be involved on the same weekend as the much loved annual tournament.

“It’s amazing to have the opportunity to play in front of a home crowd again and it’s really exciting because the crowd were just fantastic last year,” he added. “It’s also great to be hosting a visiting Gibraltar side.

“What is particularly exciting is that because we are not bound by the usual international regulations, we are able to name the best players on island within the squad and give an opportunity to some players who haven’t had that chance before.”

While Barnwell is relishing the occasion, he did concede that preparations for the match had not come without challenges.

“The main difficulty for us has been the timing of the game,” he said. We’ve only really had four to five weeks to prepare and unfortunately a number of things, such as the recent hurricane, have affected training.

“It has definitely been one of the trickiest squads that we’ve had to put together but, that being said, we have a great bunch of lads and everyone involved has worked incredibly hard and it’s been great having everyone back together.

“Everyone loves being involved in the Classic and so we’ll have a big coaching team because there’s no better reason than bringing everyone together as part of the team.”

Looking ahead to the match itself, Barnwell is fully expecting a tough challenge, particularly due to Bermuda’s lack of competitive action.

“This will be the first proper match that the squad will have played this season and so it is hard to have any real expectations,” he added. “In contrast, Gibraltar have been playing matches and so will a lot more game-hardened and ready than we are.

“We know they will be abrasive and that they play a very tough forwards-focused game so we are well aware that it will be tough.

“It’s hard to really know what to expect from us but one thing we know about the Bermuda team is that we are very capable and always give a very good account of ourselves.

“We have also got to the point now where we have a good kicking side to our game so that will also hold us in good stead.”