Sundays Well – Ireland’s Newest World Champions

The Sunday’s Well Rebels, Ireland’s first mixed ability rugby team set up in January 2014,have just returned from wining the Mixed Ability Rugby World Tournament in England beating the Bradford and Bingley Bumble Bees, 26-19 in the final.

Mixed ability rugby is a modified version of the game. Players with intellectual or physical disabilities play full contact rugby alongside those without them. The only major rule change is that scrums are uncontested so no specialist pack is needed.

Close to 400 players from all around the world participated in the event. Some travelling from as far afield as Argentina to take part.

The Rebels’ World Cup campaign opened with a 14-14 draw against the competition’s Scottish representatives, the Clan. After a win against Castleford RFC, one of the three English teams in the tournament, the Rebels were tied at the top of the pool with the Scots.

Tries weren’t the only thing that mattered however; the Rebels were awarded more “Spirit of The Game” points – a measure of how each team represented the integrative spirit of the game during – and so went through to the semi-finals.

Clara Auvergne, the Rebels’ French opponents for the semi-finals, had won both their previous games and were looking to continue their winning streak. For the French it wasn’t to be. In a thrilling encounter, the Rebels ran out 31-14 and secure their spot in the final against the host team.

The Rebels met the Bumbles on the main pitch in front of a crowd of hundreds. As they took to the field, the other teams began to sing Ireland’s Call.

When the game kicked off, the Bumbles opened the scoring with an early try, but were answered moments later when the Rebel’s Richie Philpott took the ball on five metre line and charged through three tackles to level the score.

After half- time, the Rebels upped the intensity and scored two tries in as many minutes. When the Rebels crossed the line again, it seemed their 26-5 lead was unassailable.

Assail it; however, the Bumbles did with two great tries that brought the score to 26-19 with five minutes to go. The Rebels defended hard and, when they secured the ball as the final whistle was blown, left the field world champions.