With about 1,500 hours worth of training under their collective belt, members of one of Bermuda's least known national teams are set to defend their crown in the upcoming Caribbean Championships.

Bermuda's national rugby coach Kieran Peacock says the 22-member squad are "chomping at the bit -- they just want to play now'' after attending 39 training sessions since preparations began on May 1.

The squad departs at 7 a.m. on Friday for Barbados where the 15-a-side tournament will be held.

Bermuda won the competition when it was last held in 1993. Nine of the players on that team return for this tournament.

Then, on November 1, ten players will fly on to Trinidad to represent Bermuda in a seven-a-side competition there.

The seven-a-side tournament marks the beginning of the squad's preparations for their World Cup Sevens qualifying matches in Uruguay this January.

Peacock, who teaches at Saltus Grammar School, said the squad were probably the fittest they had ever been -- a definite plus with the type of game they have opted to play.

Bermuda will adopt an "attractive, open style of game with the emphasis on keeping the ball alive,'' said Peacock.

In the past the team had played a restrictive style but now all players were expected to be able to handle the ball and run.

New changes to the game means that there were more attacking options available. And Bermuda's new style of play would allow players to take advantage of them, Peacock said.

The new style also carries a higher risk of mistakes and conceding points, however Peacock said the players were all comfortable with the game plan and had contributed to the skeleton framework he had installed when the squad first began to train together.

One concern is the squad's failure to play any warm-up games.

But Peacock stressed that players were confident, well-prepared and realistic about the tough competition they will face.

This included their opening game of the tournament against the Cayman Islands who were the "dark horses'' of the tournament, said Peacock.

The side will be led by captain Alvin Harvey and vice-captain Patrick Cooper.

They will be boosted with the inclusion of Bobby Hurdle -- presently at school in Canada -- who will join the squad in Barbados, Peter Shillingford, who played at a high level in the UK before moving to Bermuda, and Scott Correia, a national team veteran.

SQUAD: Billy Tempest-Mitchell, Billy McNiven, Paul Reed, Noel Capewell, Sean Field, Ashley Redmond, Bobby Hurdle, Dennis Cherry, David Beau, Peter Shillingford, Rod Stewart, Patrick Cooper (vice-captain), Gareth Davis, Michael Montgomery, Ross Webber, Dan Olsen, Scott Correia, Mike Gorrie, Alvin Harvey (captain), Heath Robinson, Sean Kelly, Alan Oliver, Patrick McHugh (manager), Isla Dixon (physiotherapist), Dennis Dwyer (referee) and Peacock.