Bermuda men’s rugby sevens team captain Hadleigh Tucker is targeting a top-three finish at the Central American and Caribbean Games in Dominican Republic.

At the last tournament in El Salvador, Bermuda finished sixth after forfeiting their last match due to an overwhelming number of injuries in the squad.

“Ideally, we would like to be in the top three so we can bring a medal home,” Tucker told The Royal Gazette.

“I understand that it’s going to take a lot of hard work, but at the same time I think it’s perfectly possible for us. We have a good history with some of the Caribbean teams and I think having the opportunity to play the Central American teams, they don’t really see how we play.

“It’s a positive for us in a way that a lot of the time we go to these tournaments we’re underestimated a little bit being such a small nation. I think we can do some pretty good things at this tournament and hopefully go for a medal.

First up for Lucas Nyamoto’s side on Saturday is a clash with Trinidad & Tobago (1.12pm Bermuda time), which will be followed by an encounter against Guatemala (4:16pm).

The last group match is with Venezuela before the competition goes into the quarter-finals.

At the Rugby Americas North in Arima, where Bermuda finished fourth and secured CAC Games qualification, Trinidad finishedthird.

“Having played them in Trinidad at the last RAN tournament, we’re familiar with their game,” the Bermuda captain said.

“We’re going to try and shut them out defensively and put our new play style into action against them, run them around a bit and score some points.

“Guatemala is a new team to us. If anything, I’m just excited to go out and play a fresh set of feet that we don’t play every year at RAN.

“It’s going to be a nice experience for the guys to show their skills and surprise some of these players that don’t really know how we play.”

Former captain Tashon DeSilva is heading to his third CAC Games. The veteran had announced his retirement after the Rugby Americas North Sevens Olympic qualifying campaign in 2023, but changed his mind a year later.

“I love playing for my country and I hope to see positive things going into this tournament,” the 42-year-old said.

“I’m going to the top position and for us to achieve that, we have to avoid too much contact, but if we have to we have to but we’re always going to be there to support each other no matter what happens.

“The training that we’ve been doing for the past month or two months has shown that we believe in each other we can do it. I feel more positive going into this tournament with the guys that I have now position wise.

“We stand a chance against every team. It's where we start when we enter the field. Because we usually tend to start off a little slow and then we chase from behind.

“Hopefully, with this tournament coming up, the sound of the whistle, we start off good and we go from the start instead of trying to come from behind.”