COVENTRY RFC’s wheelchair rugby team, Coventry Stampede, reached the final in the first GBWR Rugby 5’s tournament of the year
Stampede, who play in the Championship, won both of their pool matches at Stoke Mandeville Stadium in Buckinghamshire.
The Coventry club beat Endeavour Punishers 30-17 in their first outing before then edging out North East Barbarians 25-21 in their second fixture.
That secured Stampede top spot in Pool B and a place in the final against Bournemouth Lions only for a slow start to prove costly in a 33-15 defeat.
Head Coach Mandip Sehmi said: “We made a great start in our first game against the Punishers and the whole team performed well.
“The Barbarians proved a different challenge, they went three tries up in the first half and we had to dig deep in the second half to grind out the win.
“The team started flat [in the final] and never got out of the blocks, the Lions played an amazing game and took a substantial lead.
“We made a lot of uncharacteristic errors which made it hard to get back into the game, it was a tough way to end the day.
“We are a third of the way into the series so we have the opportunity to regroup and improve for the next competition. Everyone gave their best efforts but we fell short in the final, still lots to play for.
“A huge thank you goes to all of the volunteers who support the team at the tournaments, we wouldn’t be able to do it without them all.”
Anyone who would like to try wheelchair rugby, support the team or become a sponsor should get in touch with Sehmi at: [email protected]