Review of the final WR5s and 3v3 League weekend

Premiership

The Premiership went right down to the wire with a pulsating final game full of drama that required a golden try to separate the top two teams, local rivals Northampton Saints and Leicester Tigers. In a nail biter with fierce support, Saints claimed the final game and the Premiership ahead of last year’s champions Tigers. This caps an incredible two years playing in the wheelchair rugby 5s league for Saints who won the Championship title last season.

Both Saints and Tigers will be able to resume their rivalry in November as they head overseas to take on Poland’s best wheelchair rugby 5s teams in the first international club fixture for this discipline.

What looked like a potential three-way hunt for the top two positions in the league fell away for West Country Hawks as key players were unfortunately unable to attend. This allowed Maulers to get back on level terms and take third place in the table by virtue of two wins against Hawks.

Ospreys having a tough season in the Premiership finished their season with arguably their best results. They played each of their games with spirit and were valiant in defeat.

All the results for the second weekend can be found here.

Championship

Coming into the final weekend it appeared Bournemouth Lions had all but secured the Championship. However, Berkshire Banshees and Coventry Stampede had other ideas leading to the final game deciding the finishing positions of all three teams. By the end of the final game all three teams tied were tied on points, with the team from the south coast winning the Championship having beaten both Banshees and Stampede previously on head-to-head results.

It was harder to separate the Berkshire Banshees and Coventry Stampede, as they had previously played each other twice, with one win apiece. Therefore, the second and third places were decided on try difference between the two teams. Just one try secured second place, despite the best efforts of Stampede, who in fact won the day overall, by going unbeaten on the final day.

North East Barbarians came into the final weekend in high spirits following their strong outing in the last round held in July. The Barbarians came out strong and eventually needed a win against the Endeavour Punishers to progress to play in the 3^rd/4^th play-off, they did so and met Team Solent Sharks in the game, who had a close game against Coventry Stampede. The team from the North East put in a valiant display but came second to a rejuvenated Sharks team led by their talent squad player, George Rogers.

Team Solent Sharks performance was enough for them to avoid last place in the final league standings and there good form meant the Endeavour Punishers took the 6^th position in the table. The Punishers have fought hard throughout the season and with the recent addition of two new female players, Sally Bevan and Racheal Lowe, next season looks very bright for the team from the West country.

All the results for the second weekend can be found here.

League One

Help 4 Heroes continued their domination of League 1 by continuing their unbeaten run. However, the Penrith Pumas nearly spoilt the party by taking H4H all the way in their game needing overtime and a golden try for the military men to separate the two teams. In the overtime period, H4H applied maximum pressure even after losing the tip off and managed to secure the all-important turn over and score.

Despite Pumas best efforts, losses to Crawley Jets and H4H meant the team from Cumbria finished third in the table, which for their first season in the league is a respectable position. Crawley Jets, also in their first season in the league took a well-earned second place in the table. The Jets final game against H4H was another close affair, with both teams level at the half way point and final buzzer 13-13, taking the game to overtime, where the Jets won the tip off but were unable to convert, leaving H4H to grab the win.

Saracens had a tough final wheelchair rugby fives tournament losing by one point to both the Pumas and the Dragons. In the Pumas game the team from North London were ahead by one point but unfortunately were unable to keep their lead in the second half going down 11-12 at the final buzzer. Saracens did manage to secure all three points in a comfortable win over Brighton Buccaneers, which left them in fourth place in the league.

Brighton Buccaneers also had a tough final tournament, with a reduced squad compared to earlier campaigns, the team from East Sussex showed real fight and determination throughout the final tournament, finishing a respectable fifth in the league standings.

Unfortunately, due to Dragons being unable to field a team at the second event, sixth place was the best that they could achieve this season. However, that did not stop the team from South Wales demonstrating their potential by winning three out of five games and only losing to H4H and Pumas. It certainly bodes well for next season when the Dragons will be looking to make a real impact on this division.

All the results for the second weekend can be found here.

3v3

West Country Hawks continued their dominance by winning the inaugural 3v3 Premiership.  The team from Devon went unbeaten on the final weekend and only registering one loss all season. The final tournament of the new discipline saw the Hawks comfortably win all their games, with the Maulers and Sharks coming closest to challenging their unbeaten run.

Team Solent Sharks provided strong competition throughout the season, their strongest line up saw newest talent squad athlete Josh Payne-Gover, talent pathway athlete Connor Sanderson and long-time stalwart of the Sharks team, Peter Wells, in a line-up that shows real promise for the future.

Stoke Mandeville Maulers put on strong displays, beating Ospreys and just coming up short against Team Solent Sharks. The team from Buckinghamshire, led by talent squad athlete, Sam Dickenson, played some excellent low point rugby even though they were without one of their star players, Neville Davis. However, Jamie Evans and Ben Richardson made sure the team’s previous efforts weren’t in vain, securing a top three finish in the league.

Ospreys also had a strong end to the first season of three v three despite being low on players. However, the backbone of Ospreys are always present, led by their coach Gareth Stokes, Kyran Bishop and Ieuan Coombs are capable of toppling any team on their day.

Unfortunately, Canterbury Hellfire were unable to field a team for the final round of this seasons three v threes. However, this provided opportunities for some social games that saw teams mix up to give everyone the opportunity to play with teammates from other teams. This has shown the comradery among teams and how 3v3 can build on the pilot series into its own fully-fledged discipline.

All the results for the second weekend can be found here.

If you are interested in getting involved in either three-v-three or wheelchair rugby fives, please do not hesitate to contact Adam Simmons adam.simmons@gbwr.org.uk

Congratulations to the respective league winners.

Premiership: Northampton Saints

Championship: Bournemouth Lions

League 1: Help 4 Heroes

3v3 Premiership: West Country Hawks