The wheel chair side of RL is part of a wider tournament. This is my first viewing of this RL version of the code apart from a few highlights videos. The first round featured four games and the summary follows (two to come).
Ireland 55-32 Spain. (Pic above)
Spain started with speed and slickness and established a strong lead early on. It was 30-4 at the 28 minute mark. Ireland then steadied the ship for the next 12 minutes and only trailed 10-30 at the half time break.
Ireland now had some momentum Spain came back and by the three quarter mark, it was 42-20. Spain was too well organised for the Irish side, but the latter certainly showed a lot of character.
England 38-8 Australia.
A top game was expected and they didn't disappoint. Australia took a lead 6-0 in a tight first quarter. Then England cut loose and Australia couldn't go with them. The speed of England's play was telling and they led 26-6 despite some ordinary goal kicking. The second period was tight but the home side were the better side and comfortably so.
France 158-6 Wales.
This was the favourite France putting on a show. A couple of tries with players in front of the kicker notwithstanding, their lead of 66-0 after 25 minutes was a quite a show. Wales then got a converted try but the half time score of 96-6 was some mismatch. The second half the same.
USA 62-41 Scotland.
I didn't know what to expect here but after 4 minutes, it was 12-0 to the USA. Frenetic play ensued with Scotland coming back nicely in a tit for tat scoring pattern. The USA slipped ahead late to lead in a fascinating encounter 38-24.
Mistakes and some scrappy play didn't detract from the spectacle due to the energy and enthusiasm exhibited. The USA players were speedy and chased kicks with success. For a country new to the sport, an excellent outcome first up.
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