Wheelchair rugby showdown: Chiefs vs Steamrollers at Bay Arena

Steamroller’s defensive veteran Amanda Lowry has been playing Wheelchair rugby for 11 years and was looking forward to the friendly clash against the Waikato Chiefs.

• Members of the Waikato Chiefs played against the Bay of Plenty Steamrollers in wheelchair rugby.
• Amanda Lowry, a Steamrollers veteran, emphasised the competitive nature of the sport.
• The Chiefs are preparing for a Super Rugby match against the Western Force on Anzac Day.

Members of the Waikato Chiefs rolled out against the Bay of Plenty Steamrollers at Bay Arena in a physical game of wheelchair rugby on Thursday.

Chiefs head coach Clayton McMillan said the team was in Tauranga to face the Western Force at Bay Oval on Anzac Day in a Super Rugby bash.

Steamrollers’ defensive veteran Amanda Lowry looked forward to going wheelchair to wheelchair against the Waikato Chiefs squad.

“We are going to own them,” Lowry said.

The Steamroller players all have different levels of disability, and Lowry said their disabilities dictate where they play on the court.

“Everyone’s got a role.”

Amanda Lowry in the middle of the game against the Waikato Chiefs.

Lowry has played for 11 years after an accident left her in a wheelchair, but she was inspired after witnessing the Wheel Blacks team train in Auckland.

“You are a newbie, newly busted, and you’re broken. And then you rock in there and see all these legends.”

“I was a bit like, ‘I am already busted. What else can go wrong?”

Wheelchair rugby teams have four players on each side. They must roll across the try line to score and bounce the ball every eight seconds.

“It’s mean, competitive, and nothing lightweight about it,” Lowry said.

Lowry said the Festival of Disability Sport is the next big event for the wheelchair rugby community.

“There’ll be eight wheelchair rugby teams bashing it out in this venue.”

Other wheelchair sports will be involved, and the festival will attract more than 150 athletes playing in different sports.

“We’re going to go kick a** and play.”

Steamrollers player Sam Fitness.

Steamroller player Sam Fitness said the sport is similar to gridiron and was created in Canada.

“They called it (wheelchair rugby) murder ball originally, but had to change it,” Fitness said.

McMillan said he agreed that wheelchair rugby was a physical game as his players rolled up for it.

Waikato Chiefs Head Coach Clayton McMillan.

The team had been out doing community engagement, including meeting with members of the Mount Maunganui RSA and having a meet-and-greet at Tauranga Crossing.

The clash against the Western Force is the first time the Chiefs have played in Tauranga since 2013, where the home team beat the Auckland Blues 23-18.

McMillan said the Bay Oval, a cricket ground, will have some unique challenges with the crowd further away.

As a Tauranga local, McMillan looked forward to running out before a sold-out crowd while acknowledging the Western Force as a side to watch.

“It is a good homecoming,” McMillan said.

The Chiefs sit atop the Super Rugby standings, but being at the “pointy end of the season,” one point can make all the difference, the head coach said.