Local referee Jaime Baum has been selected by Rugby Americas North to take charge of games in its annual international sevens tournament in Mexico City this month.

The two-day event will run from November 25 to 26, with ten men’s and women’s teams taking part in the competition.

Baum has lived in Bermuda for two years and plays as a forward for Renegades RFC.

He has been refereeing for about ten years and prior to Bermuda he was refereeing in Brisbane, Australia.

Although this will be his first time refereeing in an international sevens game, he has refereed other international XVs games, most recently in the Cayman v Bahamas 2018 World Cup Qualifier.

“It’s an honour and privilege to take part in the RAN Sevens tournament,” Baum said. “I’m looking forward to the learning and growing from this experience.”

Sean Field-Lament, the Bermuda Rugby Football Union president said: “We are delighted that RAN has asked Jaime to be part of the team that will officiate this prestigious tournament.

“I think it really speaks volumes to the knowledge and talent that we have here in Bermuda and a big thank you must go to KPMG as the sponsor of the local rugby referee society.”

The women’s sevens teams will take part in a round-robin tournament, with Bermuda likely to face strong opposition from Cayman, Mexico and Jamaica.

They will have three matches each day as the women’s teams will play each country at least once. The men’s format is slightly different with teams being divided into pools.

The Bermuda men’s sevens team are set to face stiff competition from Jamaica and Dominican Republic. This year is particularly important for the Bermuda teams as they look to qualify for the Central American and Caribbean Games in Barranquilla, Colombia, in July and August next year.