By Nathan Bragg for World Wheelchair Rugby
The 2022 Wheelchair Rugby World Championship tips-off on Monday in Vejle with two exciting matches to start the tournament.
Host Denmark will open the competition against debutants Brazil in a battle between the bronze medalists of the European and American Zones in a Pool B clash.
Following the opening match, Paralympic champions Great Britain face Switzerland, who return to the world championship for the first time since finishing 11th sixteen years ago in Christchurch, New Zealand.
Match #1: Denmark vs. Brazil
An intriguing match to start the tournament between two unfamiliar foes. The 7th-ranked Danes and 9th-ranked Brazilians have only met once at the 2016 Metro Cup in Poland, where the Danes emerged victorious.
Seeded 4th and 5th in their pool, this could be a tight one as both sides look to get off to a winning start.
The Great Danes will want to put on a show for the home fans and hopefully inspire more spectators to get behind them as the week goes on.
Denmark’s hi-lo line-ups are always dangerous for the opposition. The combination of 3.5 Sebastian Frederiksen and 3.0 Leon Jorgenson could cause trouble for Brazil’s defense and in 3.5 Mark Peters, the hosts have one of the world’s biggest hitters.
Keep an eye on 2.5 Daniel Gonçalves for Brazil. He’s a big and powerful mid-point player who was a difference-maker for the team at the Americas Championship.
Young and speedy 3.5 Gabriel Feitosa de Lima is a great candidate to break out in Vejle. After spending the past few years coming off the bench and providing a great boost of energy to Brazil, he could take on a more featured role this year.
Will the home crowd get behind Denmark and cheer them to victory, or will the debutants from South America win on Day 1? You’ll have to watch to find out!
Match #2 Great Britain vs. Switzerland
The day’s second match is a European clash between 2nd-ranked Great Britain and 13th-ranked Switzerland. These two teams have faced each other at many European and World Championships, with Great Britain winning all their meetings so far.
Monday’s match should see a contrast in tempos. With their phenomenal team speed, Great Britain is comfortable playing at a fast pace and poring on a high defensive press. In 3.5 Aaron Phipps, they have one of the quickest players in the world, who isn’t afraid to try for turnovers with both his chairs and his active hands.
On the other side, don’t be surprised if Switzerland uses patient passing and their strong key defense to slow the game’s speed down. They also have a core of experienced players who are well-versed in their system and calm under pressure. 2.0 David Mzee is one of the best in the business at finding ways to get open late in the 12-second count, and in 1.0 Adrian Moser, they have a low-pointer with elite ball protection and offloading skills.
Keep an eye on the match-up between the 2.5s Jeremy Jenal and Jamie Stead. Switzerland’s Jeremy Jenal may fly under the radar of some casual fans, but he’s got pace to spare and does a great job facilitating the Swiss attack. He could turn a lot of heads at his first World Championship.
For Great Britain, Jamie Stead often lives up to his last name as he’s an incredibly “steady” player. He provides consistent offense and is an efficient playmaker who defenses need to respect with and without the ball. GB has many players who can take over a game; Stead might be the one to do so tomorrow.
Will the Paralympic champions open their campaign with a win or will the Swiss pull off an upset for the ages? We’ll find out tomorrow night.
Don’t Miss A Moment
Monday’s matches are the first two of 46 games, that conclude with Sunday’s finals. You can watch every match on worldwheelechair.rugby. Subscribe to our YouTube channel to get notifications when we’re live, and follow WWR and the 2022 Wheelchair Rugby World Championships on social media to stay up-to-date with the tournament.