4 minute read
The Wheelchair Rugby league World Cup is Coming…
Get ready to cheer on James Simpson and Team England on Armistice Day.
IT has been a tumultuous 12 months for sport, with the COVID-19 pandemic placing doubt around a number of high profile events, including the Olympic and Paralympic Games. In 2021, however, the Rugby League World Cup looks set to be going ahead here in the UK. The Rugby League World Cup (RLWC2021) is the pinnacle event of rugby league, globally contested every four years. RLWC2021 will be a breakthrough moment in the tournament’s history with the men’s, women’s and wheelchair competitions being staged together for the first time.
The three tournaments will take place across 21 venues throughout England, with the wheelchair competitions contested by two groups of four teams. The teams in the wheelchair competition are England, Australia, Spain, Norway, France, Wales, Scotland, and the USA. Wheelchair Rugby League inclusion in the world cup means that the wheelchair players will be part of the same brand and profile as the non-disabled teams, and have the same level of support. Rugby League is signalling to the world that disabled sport is just as important as non-disabled sport.
So what is Wheelchair Rugby League?
Wheelchair Rugby League is considered one of the most inclusive sports around. Not solely for disabled athletes, non-disabled people can compete as well, and both men and women can play in the same team.
The rules for wheelchair rugby league are quite similar to rugby league, with only a few minor changes to allow for the use of wheelchairs. Rules of the game include:
5 players a side. Conversions are scored by punching the ball over the mini-posts from a tee. Tackles are made the same way as Tag Rugby by pulling the attached tag off the opposing player. 5 tackles are followed by the handing over of possession. Offside, knock-on and in-touch apply just like in the full-version game.
Customer Director for the RLWC2021, Terri Lynam, states, “Wheelchair Rugby League is not only highspeed but also extremely skillful and there can be few better arenas to showcase these incredible players than the Copper Box – the ‘Box that Rocked’ at London 2012 Olympic Games – and the Sheffield English Institute of Sport all leading to a thrilling final at Liverpool’s M&S Bank Arena. We want everyone to come and experience this amazing game for themselves.”
The RLWC2021 team hope that the wheelchair tournament will provide a boost for the sport and encourage more players to take part, not just in England, but globally.
What does Armistice Day have to do with Wheelchair Rugby League?
James Simpson, RLWC2021 Ambassador, England Player and ex-soldier will have his “James’ Squad” on hand for the opening fixture on the 11th November, 2021. As a touching commemoration on Armistice Day, “James’ Squad,” 21 volunteers from the armed-forces, will play a special role when hosts England take on Australia at the world famous Copper Box Arena at the Queen Elizabeth Olympic Park, London.
James states, “Armistice Day is a such a significant day in the calendar of the military, and the fact is falls on the first day of the wheelchair tournament adds extra significance for me personally. Having 21 members of the military in the arena, alongside me, will be an emotional and proud moment.”
RLWC2021 will be the most visible rugby league event in history with all 61 games in the men’s, women’s and wheelchair competitions being broadcast live on the BBC. The mission of the Rugby League World Cup 2021 is to deliver the biggest and best ever
Rugby League World Cup in history that has a long-lasting legacy for generations to come.
Be sure to watch the competition from the 11th of November, on BBC.
Meet James Simpson:
James, tell us your story…
A lifelong Rugby League fan, I joined the Yorkshire Regiment 1st Battalion in 2001 and undertook several overseas missions from Central America to Iraq. In 2009, whilst in deployment in Afghanistan, I stepped on an explosive device, which caused life-changing injuries. I lost both of my legs, three fingers and the muscle from my right forearm.
I discovered the sport of Wheelchair Rugby League whilst watching Leeds Rhinos at Headingley, in 2013. I started training sessions with the Leeds Rhinos Wheelchair team and I was hooked. I have represented England at the World Cup in France in 2017, and am looking forward to representing England in the 2021 World Cup.
The wheelchair rugby league world cup is the only world cup being played in the UK this year, how is this unfolding against the backdrop of a pandemic?
I worry for the England team, but we’ll be ready to go as soon as we get the green light. We are training for the 11th, no matter what, and hopefully we get there. At the moment everything is going ahead, and the support team have been invaluable in ensuring we can just focus on the job we have to do.
How will it feel to be on pitch on the 11th of November?
When you roll out there, you have your England shirt on and you are listening to the national anthem, and it is that massive moment of “we are here.” There is an anxiousness and excitement, but as soon as the whistle goes all of this vanishes, you focus, and it is just you and the game.
Website: rlwc2021.com/the-tournament/wheelchair Twitter: @RLWC2021 Instagram: @rlwc2021 James Simpsons Twitter: @SimWheelchairRL
