Tom Healy, the Bermuda sevens coach, does not want to raise expectations ahead of this week’s tournament in Mexico City, Mexico, but he would like to finish in the top four nevertheless.

Healy wants to go one better than last year’s fifth place in the North American and Caribbean Regional Association competition.

He is, however, wary of setting targets for a team that he believes has progressed during the past 12 months.

“The problem with targets is if you don’t reach them, you have got to manage the fallout from that,” he said.

“Last year we exceeded any expectations and this year if we can get top four, semi-final level, then it would be further rubber-stamping our progression and we could be able to measure it.

“Even if we don’t make that, there has been a lot of progress made by the team.”

Bermuda’s first game in tomorrow’s pool stages pits them against St Lucia, with matches against British Virgin Islands and Barbados to follow.

The knock-out stages then take place on Thursday, with teams such as Jamaica, Mexico and Trinidad and Tobago entering the fray in the 12-team competition.

While the men are battling for a top-four finish, Bermuda women’s sevens team will be playing in a tournament for which Andy Crichton, their coach, said they had been training intensively for all summer.

Grouped with host side Mexico, Jamaica and Bahamas for the pool stages, the ten-women squad includes three members who only started playing contact rugby this summer.

Gillian Cross, Juliette Ferrari-McComb, Lauren Hayes will make their international debuts tomorrow in a team that Crichton said was ready to challenge the best in the region.

“The squad has been training intensively throughout the summer months for this,” Crichton said. “The hard work and commitment shown over the last twelve months leaves them fitter, faster, stronger and ready to challenge the very best teams.”