Wheelchair Rugby Gold Still Within Reach For Steelers

The Australian Steelers remain in the hunt for the wheelchair rugby gold medal after a stunning 55-53 victory against France on Friday. 

With the spectacular Champs de Mars Arena almost bursting with boisterous French fans and a smattering of passionate Aussies, the Steelers ensured it was an unforgettable night for Ryley Batt and Andrew Edmondson in particular, both of whom celebrated milestone games. 

Batt shone in his 350th appearance, shrugging off his sluggish start to the tournament which saw the Steelers unexpectedly go down to Great Britain by three goals on Thursday. 

Meanwhile, Edmondson also performed brilliantly to help the Steelers bounce back and admitted at full-time that his 200th game would rank among one of his most special. 

“I’ve been part of this team for a long time now and been part of really big games. That was definitely one of them,” Edmondson said. 

“But while 200 games is obviously a great personal achievement, I’m here to do my job for this team and the job’s not done. 

“That’s why the Paralympics is what it is. We’ve waited years to play a game like that in front of a huge crowd. We knew this game was going to be crucial, we knew it was going to be loud and it lived up to everything we thought it would be.” 

Under strict instructions from head coach Brad Dubberley to play mistake-free rugby in the opening quarter, the Steelers obliged with no turnovers to take a 16-12 lead into the first break. 

But the French could not be thwarted, relishing the noise from the capacity crowd. Fans from the host nation cheered wildly for every goal scored by their team and they booed mercilessly whenever the Australians attempted to manage the shot clock by holding up the ball and slowing down the play. 

The relentless pressure seemed to wear the Australians down. After not calling a time-out until less than two minutes to go in the third quarter, a renewed French onslaught saw the Steelers burn all four of their time-outs in the following six minutes. 

“We thought they were going to be the toughest opposition in our pool and they were bloody tough but we absolutely needed that win,” Australian captain Chris Bond said. 

“We know we have to play five good games here. If we lost tonight, the best we could do was play for fifth. But right now we’re still a chance for a gold medal which is what we came to do. 

“I like to think we’re big-game players. We feel most comfortable on big stages and in finals and what bigger stage than in front of a packed French crowd, against France at Champs de Mars in Paris at the Paralympics. 

“I’ve said right from the beginning, this is strongest squad we have ever had and if we can play to our potential, no one can beat us. We played to our potential in that first quarter, we showed what we can do and we’re building every game.” 

The Steelers will next face Denmark in their final Pool B match on Saturday when the semi-finalists are almost certain to be decided on goal difference. 

With Great Britain (+5) leading the way with two wins from two, France (0) also with one win and Denmark (-4) still winless, the winner between Australia (+1) and the Danes seems destined for a semi-final showdown against Japan – top qualifier in Pool A on Sunday. 

“Unfortunately we still have to beat Denmark and we still have to hope for some results because there is a small chance there that we don’t go to a semi final,” Ryley Batt said. 

“I hate that. I hate not having the fate in our hands but all I can do is beat Denmark and fingers crossed we get a semi-final.” 

The Australian Steelers face Denmark at 9:30am (AEST) / 1:30pm (CET) on Saturday. 

Watch the Paris 2024 Paralympic Games on the 9Network and 9Now live and free, and on Stan Sport till September 8  

By: Tim Mannion, Paralympics Australia
Published: 31 August 2024