Leeds Rhinos crowned a perfect season when they claimed the Wheelchair Super League title against Halifax Panthers, as the sport continues to go from strength to strength at every level, writes IAN GOLDEN.
BACK in the June issue of Rugby League World (issue 497), I predicted that Leeds Rhinos would come top of the table and Hull FC bottom. I got those right anyway – the other three finished in a completely different order to my predictions.
However, I did say that Halifax Panthers, who I predicted would come fourth, would be challenging for Super League honours if they managed to get some loan players from France. Well, they managed to get Jeremy Bourson back and he was an inspiration for them, leading them to the Super League Grand Final and would surely be in most people’s Wheelchair Super League team of the year.
As would Rob Hawkins, who I interviewed last month. He’s ended up winning Young Player of the Year, and he came up against “Wheels of Steel” award winner Josh Butler of Leeds in the Grand Final, with the Rhinos coming into the game as favourites with a 100 percent record in the regular season.
And like Wigan in the men’s game the day before, the league leaders lifted the Super League trophy live on Sky Sports, with Leeds winning 52-32, and the match was a cracker.
Leeds scored first, only for Halifax to lead 22-16 at half-time. With 20 minutes to go, the score was 28-all, before the Rhinos pulled away with three quick to lead 42-28. There was no way back for the Panthers with Wales international and the world’s joint highest international cap holder Jodie Boyd-Ward lifting the trophy.
Butler scored a hat-trick of tries but Nathan Collins, who got two tries and eight goals, was awarded player of the match. He said: “Full credit to Halifax, they put up a fight. I’m so proud of everyone and their effort all season. We’ve gone undefeated all year and that just shows that all the hard work we’ve been doing off the pitch has all come together at the right time.”
Bourson, whose error led to Leeds’ match-cementing try, may have been on the losing side this time, but the fact that players can turn out for teams in more than one country certainly helps to grow the sport. Bourson turned out for Catalans Dragons in the French League and the RFL Challenge Cup in addition to Halifax in Super League this season.
He’s not the only player to swap sides this season – a number play for clubs in the Welsh and English systems, whilst Ireland international Mel Griffith, a born, bred and based Irish woman, has guested for Argonauts in the WRL Development League and Wigan Warriors in Super League, and will surely be playing in the first ever domestic Irish game that takes place on 2nd November in Meath, just north of Dublin, where Leinster will take on Munster.
This is just one of a few exciting events set to be taking place in November. History will also be made on the other side of the world the day before when New Zealand play international Wheelchair Rugby League for the first time, taking on Australia in Auckland, coinciding with the men’s Pacific Championships match between the Kiwis and Tonga. The second test takes place three days later at the same venue.
Later in November, the Welsh season concludes with the Cup and Grand Finals. The Cup, known as “Cwpan Sialans Cadair Olwyn” takes place at Wrexham University on Sunday 10th with an all-Wrexham clash between North Wales Crusaders and Crusaders Celts. The Grand Final, at University of South Wales in Trefforest, is between North Wales Crusaders and defending champions The Argonauts.
It’s certainly an exciting time for the sport. Just before Grand Final day, it was announced by the Rugby Football League that they would be extending the size of Wheelchair Super League from five to eight clubs, which is a welcome move. The release said that they wouldn’t be basing the new clubs on performance alone, but Sheffield Eagles will undoubtably be favourites to fill one of the spots on performance and behind the scenes. They’ve run two sides plus eagerly hosted development camps for younger players. Plus their social media is also exemplary, much better than most of the clubs who are currently in Super League. If IMG awarded points for Wheelchair, then Sheffield could be top of the pile.
The Eagles opened Wheelchair finals day on 13th October, when they beat Gravesend Dynamite 38-36 in the Championship Grand Final. Both had overcome difficult semi-finals against North Wales Crusaders and Hereford Harriers respectively and went into the final unbeaten, as the league was split into three regions for the regular season, a move that appears to have worked.
The YouTube broadcast, kindly provided by Sheffield, was insightful as the match officials’ microphones were plugged into the stream, giving everyone an insight into conversations, including for example warnings for Gravesend for illegal plays and offsides: “Gravesend, just go for the tag please, not the whole person,” was one warning that was shouted by referee, Karli Wilkinson.
Eagles went into the break 16-12 up, taking the lead when Will Brooks scored in the corner. Two Gravesend tries put the score onto 12-4 before Sheffield scored two converted tries of their own. The second half was just as nip and tuck with Gravesend levelling things three minutes before the end as Dan Grant’s touchline conversion made the score 36-all.
But Gravesend’s tactics cost them in the end and Joe Wink-Simmonds, who thought he’d scored the winning try in normal time, kicked the clinching penalty for Sheffield five minutes into golden point extra-time, with David Butler of the Eagles going on to be a goal-line touch-judge for the Leeds v Halifax Super League final, having little more than an hour to change from his red kit to green.
Speaking at the end of the day, Butler said: “We’re obviously delighted to have won the Championship and alongside Gravesend to have played our part in showcasing how exciting the game is at this level.
“It’s been a great season for us and we’ve improved so much in our three years. It was only 2022 that we didn’t win a single game, so it’s amazing to see how far we have come.
“We will be applying for Super League to maintain the momentum but it’s not our only objective; we have an A team that is busting at the seams and a junior side all ready to go and we will continue to fulfil the ambitions of players at all levels who want to pull on the red and gold of Sheffield Eagles.”
First published in Rugby League World magazine, Issue 502 (November 2024)
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