Day 2 of the low point wheelchair rugby competition at The World Games started with Japan vs Switzerland. Like yesterday, Switzerland’s Adrian Moser was the first of the match to score. Team Japan was able to quickly get into its offensive groove, led by Takayuki and Seiya Norimatsu, and took an 8-4 lead after the first quarter. What Switzerland lacked in team depth they made up for in effort, especially on the defensive side of the court. Their full court pressure mixed with a half court zone defense kept them within striking distance throughout the match, and the first half ended with Japan up 17-8. The Norimatsu brothers took a rest in the third quarter making way for Hitoshi Ogawa and Hidefumi Wakayama who had fantastic offensive performances scoring 7 and 6 points respectively. Switzerland, as usual, never gave up and showed equal scoring abilities from the 0.5s to 1.5s. Still, Japan took the match in a 36-16 victory.
Match two featured Great Britain and USA. GB started off strong with their trademark speed and passing and jumped out to a 14-1 lead to end the first quarter. USA got into a tight zone defense to slow down GB’s offense, but the momentum remained with the British. In the second half, Great Britain’s Nick Cummins got a well-deserved rest while Daniel Kellett, Sam Dickinson, and Luke Wilson put their offensive abilities on display. For Team USA, Zac Bradley, John Milstead, Mike DeYoung and Jeremy Hannaford had a standout second half with clutch catches, tries and defensive stops. GB maintained control and secured a 47-12 victory.
Red and white covered the court for match three as Canada took on Switzerland. Both teams were looking to snag their first win of the tournament, and both came out with full court presses, making it difficult for either side to score. Christian Hahnel was the first to cross the try line for Switzerland midway through the first quarter, while the offensive duo of Trevor Hirschfield and Patrice Dagenais kept the scores coming for Canada. Quarter one ended with a 14-5 Canadian advantage. Canada’s depth was put on display in the second half as each athlete played solid minutes and contributed on both sides of the court. For Switzerland, the starting four of Christian Hahnel, Adrian Moser, Peter Roos and Patrick Gosteli played most of the match, but every athlete on the squad tallied a try. In the end, Canada came out on top 37-15.
The afternoon began with USA vs Germany in match four. As in previous matches, USA filled the box with a tight zone defense to slow down Germany’s offense. But Germany showed patience and was able to use the clock and diligently work to sneak past the try line. This allowed Germany to end the first quarter with a 17-4 lead. The American starting line of Jeremy Hannaford, Daniel Ortiz, Joel Rodriguez and John Milstead showed improved passing and composure in the second quarter, but the speed of Germany’s Thomas Schuwje shut down the American’s offensive momentum, and the half ended with Germany up 34-9. In the second half Florian Bongard teamed up with Niklas Braschoss for a breakout offensive performance, scoring a third of the team’s points and leading Germany to a 59-15 win.
Day two ended with the most anticipated match of the day – Japan vs Great Britain. Team GB came out of the huddle on fire, winning the tip and recording the first 4 points of the match from Myles Pearson, Nick Cummins and Daniel Kellett. The Norimatsu brothers were quickly subbed out, which provided opportunity for Hidefumi Wakayama to score Japan’s first try, but the stifling full court defense of GB made it tough for Japan to cross the goal line. GB continued its defensive strategy, pinning one or two of Japan’s high pointers in the back court and forcing the low pointers to handle the ball and score. At the end of the first, GB was up 5-12. The Norimatsu brothers stared the second quarter, providing momentum to Japan’s offense, but Great Britain continued to dominate both sides of the court and finished the first half with a 23-11 lead. Japan showed renewed energy in the third and fourth quarters, led by Hitoshi Ogawa and Hidefumi Wakayama, but it was not enough to overtake the defensive pressure from the British who ended the day with a 46-27 victory.
Tomorrow marks the final day of round-robin play and will determine Sunday’s matchups for the bronze and gold medal games. Great Britain looks like the team to beat, while Japan, Germany and Canada all have eyes on the podium. For USA and Switzerland, their biggest battle will come tomorrow afternoon when they face off and look to secure their first win.
Day Two Results
- Match 1: Japan 36, Switzerland 16
- Match 2: Great Britain 47, USA 12
- Match 3: Canada 37, Switzerland 15
- Match 4: Germany 59, USA 15
- Match 5: Great Britain 46, Japan 27
- Canada 1-2
- Great Britain 4-0
- Germany 2-1
- Japan 3-1
- Switzerland 0-3
- USA 0-3
Day Three Schedule
Saturday, July 16
All times are listed in UTC-6
- 9:00 USA vs Canada
- 11:00 Switzerland vs Germany
- 13:00 Canada vs Japan
- 15:00 Great Britain vs Germany
- 17:00 Switzerland vs USA