Bermuda will be without former captain Tashon DeSilva when they face Barbados in their opening match at the Rugby Americas North Sevens in Trinidad & Tobago this afternoon (2.06pm).

The British-based DeSilva, who came out of retirement to represent the island again, was unable to join the team upon their arrival in Trinidad on Wednesday night owing to issues with his travel documents. He is now expected to arrive late tonight out of London, in time for crucial matches against Canada and Guyana tomorrow.

Jonathan Cassidy, the team manager, confirmed that 20-year-old Aiden Kendall, studying at McMaster University in Canada, has been called up as cover in case DeSilva does not make it.

The Bermuda camp remains hopeful that DeSilva, who is also carrying the team’s main playing kit — sponsored by Paradise Mobile — will avoid any further delays.

“Tashon DeSilva won’t be playing in the first match against Barbados because of some challenges he faced with his travel documents,” Cassidy told The Royal Gazette. “We believe he has resolved the issue, and we’re hopeful he will arrive at midnight tonight.

“We’ve also flown in Aiden Kendall as cover, just to be safe. Aiden is a young, talented player who walked straight into his university team. He’s a fast, powerful winger with great potential. He played in the Olympic qualifiers last year, so he has a bright future ahead of him, and we’re excited to have him join us.”

Several players from last year’s Olympic qualifiers — Jamie Baum, Khabir Dill, Ben Green and D’Zuri Gill — have been included in the squad.

Hadleigh Tucker has been appointed captain and will rely on support from the leadership group, which includes Alex Brown, Gill, Tyler Kendall, Rory O’Kelly-Lynch and Antonio Perinchief-Leader.

A last-minute reshuffle in the technical department saw Cassidy, initially named as coach, step into the role of team manager. Coaching duties have now been assigned to Lucas Nyamoto, a Kenyan based on the island.

Looking ahead to today’s match against Barbados, Cassidy expressed optimism about securing a positive result, despite the last meeting between the two sides ending in a 31-0 defeat for Bermuda.

With promotion and relegation in play for the two tiers of the 16-team, three-day tournament, Bermuda must avoid finishing bottom to remain in Tier 1. There is also the added incentive of qualification for the World Rugby Sevens Challenger Series next year for the tournament winner.

“Barbados are always a strong side. They’re very well-organised, and they beat us the last time we played them at the Olympic qualifiers,” Cassidy said.

“However, we’re confident with the new personnel we’ve brought in. We have a strong squad, one that’s well positioned for the future, and we’re optimistic.”

Cassidy also outlined the importance of tomorrow’s matches against Canada and Guyana, as well as the implications for the quarter-finals on Sunday.

“Either way, we’re heading into the quarter-finals on Sunday, and that’s when things take on a completely new meaning.

“If we win our group, we play the lowest-ranked team in the other pool in the quarter-finals. If we come second, we play the third-placed team; if we finish third, we face the second-placed team, and finishing fourth would mean playing the winners of the other pool.”

Cassidy also highlighted the challenge posed by teams in the other group, which includes Jamaica, Cayman Islands, Mexico and hosts Trinidad & Tobago.

“We know Cayman will be a very well-organised side, and our former coach Jamie Barnwell has done an excellent job preparing them for this tournament,” Cassidy said.