Wheelchair rugby like 'bumper chess', says Britain forward

Wheelchair rugby is like "bumper chess", allowing players to combine physical contact with tactical expertise.

That is the opinion of forward Jim Roberts, who will be trying to help Britain win their first Paralympic gold medal in the sport in Rio.

"The contact is something which immediately drew me to the sport," Roberts was quoted as saying by the Paralympic News Service. "Being in a chair, people tend to wrap you up in cotton wool a little bit too much.

"I remember the first time I saw wheelchair rugby. I thought, 'This is for me'. It's great to get out some frustrations and know I can still cause physical pain to someone, if I wanted. That is what drew me to the sport. What has kept me in it is the tactical side. It is bumper chess."

Roberts, 29, was had both legs amputated after catching bacterial meningitis while a student.

He began playing wheelchair rugby in 2010 after being introduced to the sport by a nurse who helped with his rehabilitation.

"I was in a very bad place in hospital. Two-and-a-half years in hospital is a long time. I ended up putting myself back into intensive care because I was so underweight and I had a cardiac arrest. I am a strong believer that you have to hit your rock bottom, then you can pick yourself up.

"You learn so much more from people in a similar situation to you in wheelchair rugby. You get that team spirit back, that bond. It is really special to be part of a team."

Roberts, who played able-bodied rugby before his illness, said wheelchair rugby was in fact more like traditional American sports.

"It takes more from basketball and American football in the blocking," he said. "But it is completely different to rugby. It was originally called murderball and they needed a marketable name to get it into the Paralympics and rugby was chosen because of the contact. It is fast-paced like rugby but it's a different game."

Wheelchair rugby debuted at the Paralympics at the Sydney 2000 Games, having been a demonstration event in Atlanta four years earlier.

The United States have taken two of the four gold medals decided at the Paralympics with New Zealand and Australia winning the others.

The Rio 2016 eight-team wheelchair rugby tournament will begin on Wednesday with the final scheduled for September 18. Endit