Day 3 of The World Games low point wheelchair rugby competition began with a North American battle as USA faced Canada. The Americans got the tip, but Canada scored the first three tries from Trevor Hirschfield and Patrice Simard. USA quickly rallied with back-to-back points from Jeremy Hannaford, but Canada’s pressure defense caused turnovers and timeouts to be called by the Americans. Still, the USA stayed in the match with solid halfcourt defense and clutch pass receptions and tries from 0.5 Matt Milstead. The quarter ended with Canada up 10-5. Canada came out into the second with an extra spark of energy. The Canadian duo of Hirschfield and Dagenais got into a rhythm, and Canada went into the half up 22-9. Canada rested Hirschfield in the third which gave USA a burst of offense, busting through Canada’s halfcourt defense and crossing the try line. It was not enough to overtake the Canadians though, and they finished with a 45- 28 victory.
Switzerland took on Germany in match 2 of the day. Both sides came out ready, displaying similar styles of play. Each possession was valuable, and both sides carefully protected the ball to prevent any turnovers. This created a methodical back-and-forth match where they exchanged try for try early in the first period. The speed of Germany gave them the advantage in the second quarter, and slowly they began to pull away ending the half 23-12. Switzerland was not to be deterred. Christian Hahnel and Adrian Moser kept the Swiss offense moving in the third while Germany continued its smooth transition, creating passing and scoring lanes for every member of the Germany squad. The young Swiss player Yves Langhard had a solid performance in the fourth quarter scoring three tries and blocking back-to-back German passes. Germany took the victory 41-23 over Switzerland.
Match 3 was a much anticipated matchup between Canada and Japan. Japan won the tip and Seiya Norimatsu was the first to score. Patrice Simard was able to sneak past the full court Japanese pressure and be the first to score for Canada. In fact, Japan’s laser focused defense on Hirschfield and Dagenais made way for Simard to score 6 tries in the first quarter. But that was no match for Seiya Norimatsu’s first-quarter performance which gave Japan an 11-7 lead. Midway through the second, Canada continued to chip away at the lead getting within two, but Takayuki came in with a boost of speed forcing Canadian timeouts and turnovers. The defensive pressure of Japan disrupted the usually secure passing of Canada, and Japan extended its lead to end the first half 23-14. Hirschfield and Dagenais came out hot to start the third, passing well, tallying tries and causing Japanese turnovers. But the Norimatsu brothers continued to score. Canada switched up its line in the fourth making way for Melanie LaBelle and Byron Green and was able to close the gap, but the clock ran out and Japan took the 38-33 win.
The afternoon exploded with nail-biting drama from the day’s final two matches. First up was Great Britain vs Germany. Britta Kripke was the first to score for Germany, but it was followed up with a quick try from GB’s Nick Cummins. Germany showed patience and used the clock to wear down the defense and score last second tries. They also forced turnovers and poor passes for GB early in the match to take a three-point advantage. Germany’s Thomas Schuwje was near unstoppable in the full and half court and always seemed to find his teammates with a pin-point pass to score. This gave Germany an 11-7 advantage to end the first quarter. Uncharacteristic turnovers for Germany at the start of the second quarter shifted the momentum toward the British. GB’s crossing in transition set up smooth picks and scores for Nick Cowling, and they began to turn up the defensive pressure. Costly turnovers never allowed them to take full advantage of their efforts, and the first half ended with a three point advantage for Germany, 18-15. The third quarter started with a German turnover and penalty, which allowed GB to cut the lead to one, 17-18. Another turnover from Germany tied up the match 19 all. Germany never gave up with the leadership of Christian Riedel, Thomas Schuwje and Robert Teichmenn and tied it back up in the fourth. In the final minutes, Great Britain pressed up hard in the back court causing turnovers and taking a two point lead. Myles Pearson came in blazing off the bench to score key tries in the final minutes and give GB the 38-32 victory over Germany.
In the final match of the day, Switzerland and USA looked to secure their first victory of the tournament. USA was the first to score, but Switzerland quickly followed with tries from Adrian Moser and Peter Roos. It took a few minutes for USA to get in its offensive groove, but solid crossing opened scoring opportunities for John Milstead, Ryan Engelby, Daniel Ortiz and Joel Rodriguez. Still, the balanced Swiss offense gave them a 10-5 lead to end the first quarter. The U.S. changed up its defense to start the second and pressed in the back court. This created multiple turnovers for Switzerland and cut their lead to two going into the half, 20-18. USA started the third quarter with a new line of Mike DeYoung, Zac Bradley, Daniel Ortiz and John Milstead. While the Swiss kept in their trusted four – Adrian Moser, Peter Roos, Patrick Gosteli and Christian Hahnel – they showed a renewed energy and determination not let the match slip away. Switzerland caused multiple turnovers for USA and extended their lead 32-25 going into the fourth quarter. Adrian Moser was given a rest in the final quarter, giving way to Yves Langhard, Andreas Brandli and Peter Roos and Patrick Gosteli to secure the victory 40-30.
Tomorrow the medals will be awarded. Great Britain will look to secure a final win against Japan and claim gold, while Germany will take the disappointment from its lose to Great Britain and use it as motivation to claim the bronze over Canada.
Day Three Results
- Match 1: USA 28, Canada 45
- Match 2: Switzerland 23, Germany 41
- Match 3: Canada 33, Japan 38
- Match 4: Great Britain 38, Germany 32
- Match 5: Switzerland 40, USA 30
- Canada 2-3
- Great Britain 5-0
- Germany 3-2
- Japan 4-1
- Switzerland 1-3
- USA 0-4
Day Four Schedule
Sunday, July 17
All times are listed in UTC-6
- 8:30 Switzerland vs USA
- 10:15 Germany vs Canada
- 12:00 Great Britain vs Japan