Thur 3 Nov: Wheelchair RLWC: England v Australia 19:30

[The Hallucinating Goose]

A thread on a wheelchair game getting to 300 posts on here, who'd have thought that before this world cup? And that's just so far! 

[tiffers]

1 hour ago, WN83 said:

As a young rugby league fan I was sold on the sports by its physicality, collisions and the ball skills on show. 
 

This 

One of the most refreshing things about tonight was that it represented a modern, inclusive, forward thinking sport with none of the historic baggage that comes with other forms of RL.

It genuinely came across as Olympic style sport. With the quality of skills to match the arena livery too. 

Bravo to the BBC tonight as their production was superb as much as it was diverse. Both in mixing the accents and in showing a panel all with various physical disabilities. Probably for the first time ever.

This is RL, breaking down walls and barriers. Opening up new doors and screaming for a bigger spotlight.

[OriginalMrC]

Trending at no. 9 on twitter! This has definitely captured a lot of attention!

[Gerrumonside ref]

3 minutes ago, tiffers said:

One of the most refreshing things about tonight was that it represented a modern, inclusive, forward thinking sport with none of the historic baggage that comes with other forms of RL.

It genuinely came across as Olympic style sport. With the quality of skills to match the arena livery too. 

Bravo to the BBC tonight as their production was superb as much as it was diverse. Both in mixing the accents and in showing a panel all with various physical disabilities. Probably for the first time ever.

This is RL, breaking down walls and barriers. Opening up new doors and screaming for a bigger spotlight.

Great post

[Futtocks]

The Guardian's Aaron Bower was invited to attend a Wheelchair RL session, to see what it was like. He was impressed, and knackered.

https://www.theguardian.com/sport/2022/nov/02/it-left-me-in-awe-my-hands-on-initiation-to-wheelchair-rugby-league 

[Will Holt]

Sorry if this has been said - but just back from copperbox. Best game of RL I’ve been to in a long while, great atmosphere, good crowd and ridiculously good entertainment

[Chrispmartha]

6 minutes ago, OriginalMrC said:

Trending at no. 9 on twitter! This has definitely captured a lot of attention!

It was 4th at one point

[Padge]

11 minutes ago, Chrispmartha said:

It was 4th at one point

I thought I clocked at three late on in the game.

[Ragingbull]

Just caught up with the game. First time I've watched the wheelchair version of the sport.  What can I say other than WOW!!  Absolutely brilliant. !!

[Odsal Outlaw]

Just on my way home from the game, first ever wheelchair game live. What an absolute breath of fresh air for the sport. The presentation was amazing, the action great and for the first time ever I felt in an absolute minority with a northern accent. 

What an event.

[arcticchris]

This is a fantastic event and the positivity of the responses to it from both the rugby league family and the wider general public has been wonderful to see.

Such an inclusive game that deserves Olympic status. With smaller squads needed it will also be a more practical task to expand to lots of other nations including those not known for running rugby league. An example of this is that Norway were due to be in the competition but had to withdraw with Covid issues.

 

I had already discovered the thrills of the wheelchair game earlier this year but it was heartwarming to see how much of a buzz the game tonight generated in my touch rugby clubs WhatsApp group and on Twitter.

 

It will be interesting to see what the ratings are on BBC2 and how they compare to the usual programs at the time slots.

[Man of Kent]

Lovely to see so many newbies on social media seeing the light on wheelchair rugby (proper rugby). That was always going to happen when shown live on BBC proper telly. 

But to those of you on here saying it’s the first time they’ve seen it….where have you been, you fools?

[Copa]

The highlights look great!

One question though… why do they say great kicking instead of great fisting, hand ball, ball punch or something similar?

How do they get the tags back that are spread around the pitch?

Do they have fights?

Edited November 4, 2022 by Copa

[Just Browny]

47 minutes ago, Copa said:

why do they say great kicking instead of great fisting

Wouldn't get that on the BBC at all, never mind pre-watershed.

Edited November 4, 2022 by Just Browny

[ELBOWSEYE]

1 hour ago, Copa said:

The highlights look great!

One question though… why do they say great kicking instead of great fisting, hand ball, ball punch or something similar?

How do they get the tags back that are spread around the pitch?

Do they have fights?

If you watched there are coaches who pick up tags whilst supplying gresh ones

[Chrispmartha]

I’ve seen and read do many comments from non RL people who just happened to catch it and  are now hooked!

we can’t underestimate how much impact having this on the BBC has.

I would love Channel 4 to pick it up aswell, its perfect for their remit.

These athletes deserve the exposure 

[Adelaide Tiger]

Finished work early this afternoon and thoroughly enjoyed a lazy Friday late afternoon watching both of the games.  Absolutely great entertainment.

Now just watching the Aussies and Afghanistan players walk out for the 20/20 Cricket World Cup match.  Hope the Aussies get a right old hammering.

[Harry Stottle]

10 hours ago, Jughead said:

Really enjoyed it but I have whenever I’ve seen wheelchair rugby league but that’s the first time I’ve watched a game from start to finish. 

I think I’m probably a little guilty of under appreciating the running game because it’s all I knew for years and I probably don’t appreciate the physicality, speed and skill of the game at times as much I probably should do. The wheelchair game is really refreshing. It almost feels like it shouldn’t be a thing because of the physicality aspect but these people are fantastic athletes as well as many people being incredibly inspiring. 

Brown, Bechara, Karim and McKenna were fantastic to watch tonight. Looking forward to Sunday. Gutted there’s games during the week that I will miss through work. 

Watch them when you get home they are all on iplayer, about an hour after the live broadcast finishes.

[Harry Stottle]

9 hours ago, hindle xiii said:

How to enthuse, engage and excite.

(Without a leopard to be spotted.)

Wasn't nessacary or even funny, what goes on in the minds of people like you I will never ever comprehend.

[Harry Stottle]

9 hours ago, Futtocks said:

You don't need a stadium; just a standard-size indoor sports hall, time slots to train and play, and enough enthusiastic players to make up a squad. There is absolutely no reason why, given a good coach, a future powerhouse of Wheelchair RL needs to come from the North of England.

Or, indeed, that future World Champions need to come from traditional RL nations. Football found that out with the women's game, where the USA have been dominant in a way that their men never were. 

The wheelchair game could be the gateway to a bigger world, and one which other, older forms of RL could benefit from.

I was thinking whilst watching and hearing how much the audience were engaging with it, could it be transferred to open air stadiums as games to be played as curtain raisers before the able bodied version.

Surely it is not beyond someone in this day and age to design an interlocking hard base that could be installed and removed from the centre of the pitch very quickly, if it was not down for a long period it should not compromise the grass surface.

Just an idea.

[Dave T]

1 minute ago, Harry Stottle said:

I was thinking whilst watching and hearing how much the audience were engaging with it, could it be transferred to open air stadiums as games to be played as curtain raisers before the able bodied version.

Surely it is not beyond someone in this day and age to design an interlocking hard base that could be installed and removed from the centre of the pitch very quickly, if it was not down for a long period it should not compromise the grass surface.

Just an idea.

I don't think we should diminish this sport by making it pre-match entertainment for the 'real' game. 

I'd like to see more and more arena events staged to bring it to people. 

It can be a really unique event. 

[Dr Tim Whatley]

2 minutes ago, Dave T said:

I don't think we should diminish this sport by making it pre-match entertainment for the 'real' game. 

I'd like to see more and more arena events staged to bring it to people. 

It can be a really unique event. 

Plus if you did have a temporary pitch laid down inside a 'regular' stadium, the wheelchair action would be miles from the crowd. One of the many attractions of the sport is that the crowd are 'right there' too.

[Harry Stottle]

5 minutes ago, Dave T said:

I don't think we should diminish this sport by making it pre-match entertainment for the 'real' game. 

I'd like to see more and more arena events staged to bring it to people. 

It can be a really unique event. 

That is why I phrased the 13 a side as "The able bodied version", I purposefully used that so as not to diminish the sport, the 'real' game was your own phschy taking over David, I was also going to say to run along side but used curtain raiser instead.

[Dave T]

1 minute ago, Harry Stottle said:

That is why I phrased the 13 a side as "The able bodied version", I purposefully used that so as not to diminish the sport, the 'real' game was your own phschy taking over David, I was also going to say to run along side but used curtain raiser instead.

Your suggestion of putting something as a curtain raiser makes it a secondary event. 

There is literally no reason to link WRL to running RL at outdoor stadiums. 

[Gerrumonside ref]

Just now, Dave T said:

Your suggestion of putting something as a curtain raiser makes it a secondary event. 

There is literally no reason to link WRL to running RL at outdoor stadiums. 

I agree with this 100%

We’d have to be selling out the biggest indoor arenas in the U.K. before we’d consider playing it outside.

I really don’t see an argument for this at this stage in time.

There’s also many more benefits to being staged indoor.