Saints Wheelchair Rugby will kick off their new season this month, as the WR5s Premiership gets back underway.
Saints come into the new campaign off the back of their most successful season to date – where they claimed their first Premiership title, topped the Midlands Development League, and took the silver medal at the Poland Cup, the sport’s first-ever international tournament.
This term the side will face Leicester Tigers, Stoke Mandeville Maulers, West Country Hawks and last season’s Championship winners and newly-promoted Bournemouth Lions in three weekends of matches at Stoke Mandeville Stadium (Aylesbury) and Fenton Manor (Stoke) between June and September.
“The squad have trained hard over the winter and are raring to go again in the WR5s Premiership,” said head coach Jamie Higgins.
“Last season was an incredible one across the whole programme; we lifted two trophies and picked up a silver medal in the Poland Cup, while our Junior set-up has gone from strength to strength with the Club now delivering the national junior programme for GBWR.
“Now we come back into the league with a big target on our backs, but I have no doubt that the team will put everything into this campaign.”
Jamie Higgins, Saints Wheelchair Rugby coach
“Our ambitions stay the same, our methods stay the same, there’s just that bit of added pressure being the reigning champions. But our title ambitions are stronger than ever and we start again on Sunday 18 June, and need to make sure we’re ready to go.”
Following the team’s success over recent years, Saints Wheelchair Rugby’s squad has continued to grow – now and the Club will, for the first time, be entering a second team into the GBWR leagues, with Northampton Wanderers set to feature in Division 2 for the upcoming season.
The side will face Norfolk Knights, Taunton Gladiators, Dragons, Brighton Buccaneers and Harlequins over three weekends, running in parallel to the Premiership competition.
Higgins added: “We’re very lucky to have one of the largest clubs in terms of players eligible for WR5s and as such we’ve developed a squad large enough to field a second side in the competition.
“We’ll be keeping a Northampton Saints tradition alive in creating a team under the Wanderers name, allowing us to continue to engage with all the participants in our programme and offer them a great opportunity to play competitive matches.
“We had some great support last season and we’d love to see Saints supporters head along to Stoke Mandeville Stadium and Fenton Manor with us again during the campaign.”
Saints Wheelchair Rugby – 2023 Schedule
Round 1:
- GBWR 5s Division 2, Saturday 17 June – Stoke Mandeville Stadium, Aylesbury
- GBWR 5s Premiership, Sunday 18 June – Stoke Mandeville Stadium, Aylesbury
Round 2:
- GBWR 5s Division 2, Saturday 19 August – Stoke Mandeville Stadium, Aylesbury
- GBWR 5s Premiership, Sunday 20 August – Stoke Mandeville Stadium, Aylesbury
Round 3:
- GBWR 5s Division 2, Saturday 2 September – Fenton Manor, Stoke
- GBWR 5s Premiership, Sunday 3 September – Fenton Manor, Stoke
To view all of Saints’ Wheelchair Rugby fixtures for 2023, CLICK HERE.
If you have a disability and want to play for Saints Wheelchair Rugby, if you want to volunteer in any way, or if you want to help the club financially, please contact [email protected].
