2022 Wheelblacks Wheelchair Rugby World Championship Team Announcement

 Only the toughest: Wheel Blacks squad selected for 2022 Wheelchair Rugby World Championships

 

 

RELEASE

16 October 2022

New Zealand Wheelchair Rugby (NZWR) is proud to announce its squad for the 2022 Wheelchair Rugby World Championships in Vejle, Denmark (10th - 16th October). New Zealand has qualified for the event and will take on the top 12 teams in the world come October.

The Wheel Blacks team is made up of a core of Paralympians that represented New Zealand at the Tokyo 2020 Paralympic Games, plus one debutant and returning players Maia Marshall-Amai and Cameron Leslie completing the squad.

The complete Wheel Blacks squad for the 2022 World Championships:

Para athlete

Role

Region/Team

Classification

(explained below)

Cody Everson

Co-captain

Canterbury

1

Cameron Leslie

Co-captain

Waikato

3

Hayden Barton-Cootes

 

Auckland

3

Robert Hewitt

 

Waikato

2

Tainafi Lefono

 

Auckland

2

Gareth Lynch

 

Auckland

1

Maia Marshall-Amai

 

Auckland

2.5

Gavin Rolton

 

Wellington/Dsport

0.5

Ian Simpson

 

Canterbury

0.5

Mike Todd

Non-travelling reserve

Canterbury

2

 

Canterbury’s Ian Simpson, 31, is the squad’s sole debutant. Hearing his name read out to represent his county for the first time was a sporting career highlight, who has worked hard to earn his place at the World Championships.

“It’s just the best feeling to know I’ll be representing New Zealand in Denmark. Absolute top moment for me. We have all worked so hard to get to this point, and I can’t wait to show New Zealand why wheelchair rugby matters.”

Maia Marshall-Amai returns to the team for the first time since 2018, who at the time was regarded as the best female player in the world. Maia’s break from wheelchair rugby was due to health issues. Following the lengthy recuperation, Maia has been quick to return to form on the field of play – winning best 2.5 at the 2022 New Zealand National Championships in August. Maia competed as part of the Auckland Rhinos team who won the final against Canterbury. The Wheel Blacks are thrilled to have Maia back.

Co-captain Cameron Leslie has a long history with the Wheel Blacks, debuting in 2010. When the squad qualified for the Tokyo 2020 Paralympic Games after a 12-year hiatus, Cameron should have been on the team. He was set to represent New Zealand there in both wheelchair rugby and Para swimming – a rare and special feat. But with COVID, the Tokyo 2020 Paralympics were delayed, and the event clashed with the impending birth of Cameron’s daughter. He made the tough decision to stay home.

A year on, Cameron is back and playing better than ever. He is itching to get back to help the team achieve good results on the international stage. Cameron was named MVP and best 3.0 of the 2022 New Zealand National Championships, where he was cheered on by his wife and their two children.

Co-coach Robert Hewitt is thrilled with the squad which has been selected:

“Only the toughest, most talented and prepared Para athletes can become Wheel Blacks. We’ve just seen the cream of New Zealand’s wheelchair rugby talent compete at the Wheelchair Rugby National Championships, and it’s fantastic to see the skills from around the country combine into a top-class national squad. New Zealand should be really excited for what they’re going to see in Denmark.”

The team will be ably backed in Denmark by support staff including team manager Yann Roux and assistant coach Greg Mitchell. A full list of support staff is below.

 

Support Staff

  • Gavin Rolton – Co-coach
  • Robert Hewitt – Co-coach
  • Greg Mitchell – Assistant Coach
  • Yann Roux – Team Manager
  • Phillippa McAllister – Personal Care Attendant
  • Korral Heremaia – Personal Care Attendant
  • Mike Turner – Mechanic
  • Sophia Lasoso – General Support Staff

 

The tournament kicks off on 10th October and finishes 16th October. Follow the Wheel Blacks progress on @WheelBlacks across Facebook and Instagram.

 

Notes:

About Wheelchair rugby

Wheelchair Rugby is a mixed team sport for male and female athletes. A unique sport created by athletes with a disability, it combines elements of many sports, including basketball, rugby and ice hockey.

Players compete in teams of four to carry a ball across the opposing team's goal line. Full contact between wheelchairs is an integral part of the sport as players use their chairs to block and hold opponents.

Wheelchair Rugby is a Paralympic sport, with twenty‐six countries competing in international competition and more than ten others developing national programmes.

Wheelchair rugby is open to athletes with disabilities that include at least some loss of function in at least three limbs. Most players have spinal cord injuries but players can also qualify through multiple amputations, neurological disorders or other medical conditions.

How do points and classification work in Wheelchair rugby?

Every wheelchair rugby player is classified based on their disability and undergo a functional skills test. Each player is given a points value after testing which will range from 0.5 (lowest) to 3.5 (highest). The four players on court for a wheelchair rugby team must not exceed a total of 8 points. For each female player on the court, a team will be allowed an extra 0.5 points over and above the 8 points for the team.

How can New Zealanders support the Wheel Blacks?

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