European Wheelchair Rugby Championships 2023

Last year, The Wheelchair Rugby European Championships saw France take a narrow victory against Great Britain when the championships were hosted in Paris. However, this year the Championships were held on British soil in Cardiff.

With this year’s comfort of home soil, it was no wonder that Great Britain made it to the highly anticipated finals once again. And, against none other than France. But first, let’s recap the days leading up to the tense final.

Day One

The first game of the Championships saw the hosts, Great Britain, battle it out with Israel. With a strong defence, Israel found it difficult to push through. The results of this were a 55 victory to Great Britain with Israel scoring 32. During the game, Stuart Robinson scored the most tries for GB with a phenomenal 22 whilst Mordechai Zidikiyahu scored the most tries for Israel with 21.

The next game hosted the defending champions, France, who played against the Netherlands. Although France took a quick lead in the first half, the Netherlands fought hard to close in on them. The final score saw France defeat the Netherlands with 52-43. Nonetheless, a close match.

The day also saw Denmark, who rank seven in the world for Wheelchair Rugby, beat Switzerland, who rank 12th, 60-46 in their first game of the Championships.

The final game of the day was between Germany and Czech Republic. Although Germany secured a successful win of 60-44, it was not without its challenges with a lead of only three tries at the end of the first half. However, they excelled in the final quarter to secure their victory.

Day Two

To begin the second day, the court saw Israel and Denmark battle it out. By half time, the score was close with 33 to Denmark and 27 to Israel. After half time, Denmark secured their win with 68-47.

It was then Great Britain’s turn to play Switzerland in their second game of the Championships. Aaron Phipps scored the first try for team GB which set them up well for the rest of the game. After a tense game which was close at half time, GB won with a score of 31-47.

France then secured a huge victory against Czech Republic in the penultimate game of the day. The final score was 24-67 which meant that France, who rank 5th in the world, now had their place in Saturday’s semi-finals.

A place in the semi-finals was also secured by Germany in their match against the Netherlands. The final score was 48-54.

Day Three

The day started off with an intense game between Switzerland and Israel. However, at the end of the game it was Switzerland who beat Israel with a close score of 50-46.

Later on, Denmark went head-to-head with the Czech Republic. The game was exciting but saw Denmark win 66-34.

The third match of the day, between France and Germany, began with a tribute to Bernard Lapasset who was the former president of the French Rugby Federation, and the Chair of World Wheelchair Rugby. France certainly did Lapasset proud with an incredible win of 63-39.

The final match of the day was between Great Britain and Denmark. With GB ranking 4th and Denmark ranking 7th in the world, it was inevitable that this would be a tight game. As well as this, both teams entered this game with unbeaten streaks throughout the rest of the Championships. Once again, Stuart Robinson scored the most tries for GB and helped GB beat Denmark 52-45. Consequently, this meant GB secured their place in the semi-finals.

Day Four

The first game of the day saw the Netherlands beat Israel 63-36 which was followed by another big win from Switzerland who beat Czech Republic 57-34.

The third game of the day was none other than a semi-final game. It saw team GB take on Germany in a game that decided who would make the final. Additionally, the game also provided a qualification for Paris Paralympics in 2024. Stuart Robinson was the top try scorer for GB whilst Marco Herbst scored 18 tries for Germany. After a strong battle from both teams, it was team GB who won with a score of 56-42.

The fourth game was a semi-final game between France and Denmark. Again, with both teams ranking so highly, it was bound to be interesting. With the same score at half time, the pressure excelled for the second half. At the final blow of the whistle, it was France who came out on top with a score of 60-49. This meant that the finals would see France vs Great Britain for Gold and Silver followed by Germany vs Denmark for Bronze.

The Final

The Bronze medal match saw Germany and Denmark battle it out to secure a place on the podium. Of course, there was also a place at the Paris 2024 Paralympics up for grabs. With lots to play for, both teams gave it their all up until Denmark took the lead with only four minutes left. They were able to hold this lead until the game ended. The final score was 53-50.

With a repeat of the Championships in 2022, there was no doubt that the match against France and Great Britain was going to be tense – with both teams feeling the pressure. At the end of the first quarter, scores were tight. However, in the second quarter, France gained a two-point lead. From this point on, France powered through and gained a strong lead. When the whistle blew, it was France who had won the Gold medal with a final score of 55-49. Once again, this made them the European Champions. And, definitely a team to watch out for at the 2024 Paris Paralympics.