in the 2003 World Cup.

A newly-appointed rugby development officer for the region will visit the Island -- Caribbean champions last year -- in May as the first step towards that goal, The Royal Gazette has learned.

He will then travel to the other Caribbean countries before reporting back to the Dublin-based International Rugby Football Board, the world governing body, who proposed the idea at a recent coaching seminar in Trinidad attended by a number of officials from Bermuda.

Although financing may be a sticking point it is believed the IRFB is prepared to invest money in the region -- it has already subsidised Bermuda's previous forays into world cup competition -- in the interests of spreading the popularity of the game.

While in its infancy, the plan has won the backing of Bermuda captain Alvin Harvey who proclaimed it "a great idea''.

He said: "It would open up the pool of players available and make the team stronger. It would be a great opportunity for players to be exposed to a higher level of competition. The West Indies have a cricket team made up of different islands, so I can't see why we couldn't have a rugby team like that.

"My only worry is that co-ordinating such things as training and coaching might be difficult. There are a lot of unanswered questions which need to be dealt with before a team could make a good account of itself.'' He agreed some Bermudians might see it as a disappointment that the Island was no longer competing under its own flag but said: "The furthest we can realistically get in the world cup is the second round. We've proved we're the best side in the region but when it comes to the world stage we just don't have the expertise and depth. This team would have the prospect of going further.

"The Caribbean has a lot of very good athletes, they just need a bit more refining. Trinidad, for example, have come on in leaps and bounds since having more exposure to international standards and now having a new international coach. And in Bermuda we've learned so much over just the past four years.

"Maybe it's a bit optimistic but I could see a Caribbean team qualifying for a world cup proper in eight years or so.'' Peter Borland, a referee and past president of the Bermuda Rugby Football Union, was party to informal discussions on the proposal in Trinidad in his role as vice president of the Caribbean RFU.

He said: "The idea was put forward by the IRFB in an attempt to raise the standard of rugby in the Caribbean. The thinking is that maybe as a regional body we can be more competitive. It's a goal that could be achieved in five or six years but there's still a lot of work to realise that.

"What has been put in place is the appointment of a development officer who will visit all the countries in the Caribbean over four months and put together an action plan that the IRFB and CRFU could implement.

"With the next Caribbean championships in the Bahamas next October or November, I would think that would be the most likely time we would all get together to discuss it further.

Bermuda would be expected to provide 40 to 50 percent of the players for the side, he said.