Irish Wheelchair Rugby hungry for European Championships Success

Irish Wheelchair Rugby captain Johnny Mulhall emphasised how the team are eager to succeed.

“The squad is hungry, and that hunger is showing in every session.”

Since the Irish Wheelchair Rugby League ended in May, the national squad have been training with all eyes on gaining promotion up to Division B. The eight athletes selected to represent Ireland is packed with experience, as well as newcomers making their debut at international level.

One of the players making their debut at the competition, Leinster Wheelchair Rugby player, Daniel Wolski of Portlaoise shared:

“Being selected for the European Championships Division C was one of the happiest moments for me,” he shared. “Hearing I’d be going to Norway showed that all the effort I put in at training was noticed… I never thought I’d get the chance to represent Ireland on an international stage.”

During the four days, Ireland will face hosts Norway and South Africa in their quest for promotion.

Wheelchair Rugby veteran Johnny Mulhall explains what impact a successful tournament will have on the sport in Ireland.

“Promotion would show that Ireland belongs on a bigger stage and would put our sport in the spotlight back home. Success at international level inspires the next generation, brings new players in, and gives momentum to clubs around the country. This is about more than one tournament — it’s about building the future of Wheelchair Rugby in Ireland.”

The only mixed-gender Paralympic sport, Ireland is also represented by Wicklow-based Ciara Staunton and Cork woman, Jade Flynn-Hurley both who have represented Ireland multiple times over the years.

Irish Wheelchair Rugby’s eight player squad selected to compete at the European Championships, Division C are as follows:

Helping the squad from the side of the court are Head Coach Alan Lynch, Assistant Manager Teresa Dineen, Team Manager Séamus Faherty and Mechanic Alan Dodds.

Watch the Final between Ireland and South Africa

DAY 1 RECAP

Ireland began their European Championships campaign against an unfamilar foe in South Africa, who they’ve not faced before.

Coming up against the unknown, it seemed Ireland were caught by surprise of the blistering pace of South Africa, which punished the Wheels in Green throughout the contest. South Africa’s speed was a huge challenge, making it hard for Ireland to find any attempts to slow them down and get chair position on them.

Amidst a nervous Irish performance, there were still positives to take away, with a good debut from high-pointer, Daniel Wolski as he used his height and reach to good use. In a sport known for it’s contact, South Africa played a risky tactic of reaching. However, the gamble paid off more often than not, forcing multiple turnovers to extend the scoreline. A flustered looking Ireland looked to struggle with the intense press from their opposition, who despite the risk of fouling for reaching weren’t deterred to keep swiping the ball out of Irish laps.

The second half started in similar fashion and with three rapid interceptions from the inbound on the try line, South Africa ran away with the lead and really put it beyond Ireland’s reach early on in the 3rd quarter. After that, South Africa were in cruise control, seeing the game out with a 29-point lead, winning 61-32 in a very humbling opening game for Ireland.

After a couple of hours to regroup and get their bid for promotion to Division B back on track, Ireland faced the hosts Norway in their second game of the day.

A dominant opening quarter saw Ireland open up a 7-point lead. Forcing turnovers and putting Norway under immense pressure really helped Ireland open up a comfortable lead. The second quarter carried on in similar fashion as Norway continued to make mistakes that Ireland took full advantage of.

The second half followed a similar trend and Ireland kept finding success and growing their lead over the hosts. Ireland were able to comfortably see the game out with a resounding score of 56-23.

Speaking after the opening day, Leinster Wheelchair Rugby’s Declan Naughton, who also made his international debut shared his thoughts on a mixed day for the Wheels in Green.

“Spirits are high with the team. It was a tough game against South Africa, however we played with great intensity and fought to the end.

We regrouped against Norway, stuck to the game plan and got the result we wanted. Our hopes for the last day is for two strong performances and to reach the final.”

Day Two Recap

Day two of the European Championships, Division C began with another contest against South Africa for Irish Wheelchair Rugby.

A positive start to the game, Ireland had clearly learned from the previous day’s drubbing by the Wheelboks, performing as a much tighter defensive unit in the first half. Frustrating South Africa, Ireland appeared to have an answer to every attack the opposition attempted. the Wheels in Green’s resilience paid off, finding themselves in front by the end of the opening quarter.

The game continued in a similar pattern, with the sides going back and forth, with Ireland finding themselves leading by four points at one stage. However, the tenacity of South Africa shone threw and that ferocious pace eventually caught up with Ireland and suddenly the Irish found themselves behind at half time.

Like in the two side’s first encounter, the third quarter was where the game was really put to rest for South Africa, who were competing in their first international competition in 10 years. Three turnovers in quick succession opened up a lead that just became too much for Ireland to pull back and by the end of the third, they found themselves 19 points behind.

In the final quarter, Johnny Mulhall returned to the court and his presence was felt, as Ireland reduced the deficit. While the game was already beyond reach, Ireland showed they could cause problems for South Africa. Maybe causing the Wheelboks to rethink how they’d approach Ireland if they were to meet again in the final after being pushed to their limit at times.

Before any thoughts of a final could be considered for Ireland, they first had to go up against the hosts, Norway again.

Commentator and veteran referee, Simon Starr pointed out how this Norwegian side were stronger compared to the side of 2022 when Ireland last faced them. Unfortunately for Norway, it’s also a stronger Irish side from three years ago.

Similar to the first game on Day One of the tournament, it was the immense pressure put on by the Wheels In Green that gave Norway very little opportunity to cross the try line. This peaked in the second quarter where Ireland only let up five tries, while scoring 17 themselves.

After gaining such a huge lead, it gave Head Coach, Alan Lynch a chance to rotate his line ups ahead of their third game in a row, as they sealed a place in the final.

The resounding victory was made even sweeter with promotion up to Division B confirmed, alongside their place in the final.

Unlike the first game of the day between Ireland and South Africa, the Irish were exposed to a South African performance much like the contest on the opening day. The Wheelboks blistering pace saw them race into a commanding lead, with the first quarter weighing heavily in their favour, 17-07.

By half time, the quality of South Africa that had been on display all tournament was clear to see again, leading by 21 points. The scoreline suggests that it was an easy fixture, however it was packed with heavy hits, plenty of turnovers and other forced errors. The game finished 62-29, with the Wheelboks taking the gold medal and Ireland bringing home silver.