Playing for GB rugby sevens was ‘superb experience’ says Caio
Former Coleg Llandrillo student and RGC senior academy full-back Caio Parry made his GB debut in the Rugby Europe Championship Series
Former Coleg Llandrillo student Caio Parry recently played his first games for GB Sevens in the Rugby Europe Championship Series.
The 19-year-old made his GB debut in the series tournament in Makaraska, Croatia, before helping the team finish fourth overall in the following round in Hamburg, Germany.
Caio, from Caernarfon, plays for RGC and was called up to GB Sevens after selectors saw clips of him in action for the North Wales representative side.
He said: “It was superb, one of the best experiences I’ve ever had in rugby. It was much quicker and pretty physical as well. Going up against world series teams was a great experience.”
Before joining RCG’s senior academy, Caio studied Level 3 Sport (Performance and Excellence) at Coleg Llandrillo’s Rhos-on-Sea campus.
There, he combined his studies with training and playing for both RGC and the college team as part of Academi Llandrillo.
“I really enjoyed college,” said Caio. “That’s where I developed the most with the college and RGC programme, and that’s where it started with sevens. At the end of the 15s season we’d play sevens in a tournament at Rosslyn Park, and that was one of the highlights for me.”
Caio plays as a full-back for RGC, and as a fly-half, centre or wing in sevens. He trains four times a week with RGC, while also working as a rugby hub officer based at Ysgol Dyffryn Nantlle.
He played for Wales under-19s last year, and for the U20s in a training match against Scotland earlier this year, and his aim is to play professionally.
“That’s the goal,” he said. “Hopefully have a good season for RGC, and maybe move on to getting a professional contract.”
Although the GB full-time sevens programme is being scrapped at the end of this month, there is still the possibility of playing in the Olympics in Los Angeles in three years’ time.
Caio said: “That would be amazing. Hopefully I’ll get an opportunity to play again, and maybe one day I’ll get the chance to play on the biggest stage of all at the Olympics.”
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