24/10/2023
Press Release
The Old Wesley VI Rugby Squad have returned from participating in the inaugural Vision Impaired Rugby World Cup in Toulon, France. Organised by The Change Foundation UK, the tournament made history as the first international rugby tournament for vision impaired players from around the world.
During the lead-up to the tournament, once the team landed in France, they dedicated their time to some warm weather training and team building which included two challenging training sessions on Wednesday and Thursday.
Throughout the tournament which took place on Friday October 13th, the squad faced some very tough competition, displaying their remarkable determination and skill to overcome the challenge posed by some much more experienced sides. Old Wesley also stood out by being the only mixed team in the tournament, with equal male to female representation.
The team successfully made it all the way to the final where they faced the very experienced English Change Foundation side, Old Wesley narrowly lost out 15-5 at the end of the challenge. Despite the loss, the atmosphere was still high as the squad were well supported by family and friends at the tournament, these supporters certainly brought a fantastic atmosphere and turned Toulon green.
Vision Sports Ireland would like to express our heartfelt gratitude to associate sponsor Aura Leisure, Scope and PwC whose generous support has played a crucial role in this journey.
If you would like to get involved in Vision Impaired Rugby, please contact Sara Mc Fadden on sara.visionsports@ncbi.ie.