Wheelchair Rugby captain Gerry McCrory insisted he was incredibly proud of the injury-hit Saints and Wanderers sides last weekend as the WR5s season reached its conclusion at Fenton Manor Sports Arena.
Saints entered round three of fixtures second in the WR5s Premiership, although with league leaders Leicester Tigers several points clear at the summit, the title was out of Northampton’s hands with other results needing to go in their favour.
However, the side – led by McCrory and head coach Jamie Higgins – also faced an injury crisis following round two’s fixtures, with Mike Crawshaw, Phil Gutteridge and Darren Coote unavailable to play and Karl Major and Rhys Walden stepping up from the Wanderers team as a result.
That meant Saints were left with just five fit players (and no replacements) to play the four matches, but after winning twice against Stoke Mandeville Maulers (22-16) and Bournemouth Lions (30-6), skipper McCrory was thrilled with their efforts despite the losses to West Country Hawks (26-22) and Leicester Tigers (32-22).
“The individuals on the pitch at the end gave their all, especially the two players that came in from the Wanderers team to help over the weekend,” he said.
“For those players to play at that level and play all four games is a credit to them. We will take those results as a very good achievement on Sunday.”
Gerry McCrory, Saints Wheelchair Rugby captain
“The season that we’ve had with injuries, sickness and a couple of people moving on as well, we’ve had some outstanding results. Everybody just upped their game and knew what they had to do, and what they had to give.
“Even with the two games we lost (on Sunday), they weren’t losses by big margins. Those are the kind of games we could have lost by 20 to 30 points, but that wasn’t the case.
“We held teams really well and played some of the best rugby we have played in years to be honest.”
The results meant Saints ended the weekend finishing third in the Premiership behind Leicester Tigers and West Country Hawks, who jumped above them on head-to-head results.
But McCrory knows how hard the team worked for a top-three finish, and is already looking ahead to next term when he is hoping for more success and improvement.
He said: “Winning the league, as we did last year, depends on a lot of factors; the progression of the squad, how quickly we get people back from injuries, and where we are with numbers in the squad.
“With disability sports, you just never know one day from the other what’s going to happen with your teammates.
“Illness could kick in, injury could kick in, and even sometimes that happens on the day of the game. So, there’s many variables, but that’s the same for all our opponents and we have to cope with the hand we’re dealt.”
Wanderers also were in action over the weekend, rounding off their debut campaign in WR5s Division Two with three defeats and one win over Taunton Gladiators (15-14) to finish fourth overall.
McCrory believes that if the side continues to make progress at the same rate next year, a promotion could be on the cards for Wanderers.
“I’ve been very impressed with them,” he said. “They have so many new players, and before this year they would have only been used to playing against us [the Saints side].
“In their first tournament, they were playing against strangers they’ve never played against before, and you have to adapt very quickly to learn a person’s game and learn what they’re good at.
“It’s just great to see them thinking on court, learning what to do and following guidance from the coaches and the bench.”
Gerry McCrory, Saints Wheelchair Rugby captain
“Every game they got more experienced so next season could be a very good season for them. They could get promoted; they’ve got the capability and they’ve got the skill, it’s just belief now.
“It’s up to us seasoned players to install that belief, but they’ve got everything there so yes, I think they could do it.”