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The Australian Steelers have broken a four-year drought against Japan to move into the 2023 International Wheelchair Rugby Cup final in Paris.
The Steelers will play Canada in the gold medal match on Monday morning (ADST) after a 52-48 victory in an epic semi-final on Sunday, ending a losing streak against Japan dating back to October 20, 2019.
“To get this win today is massive. There has been a lot of games against Japan since then and we’ve now come out the other side. The last final we played against them [in Japan in July] wasn’t great where we kind of fell apart,” Australian head coach Brad Dubberley said.
“But it wasn’t about coming here to get revenge for previous tournaments, it was about focusing on making the most of this situation and learning as much as we can so when we come back here next year [for the Paralympics], we’re ready to fly.”
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Japan began ominously by forcing four turnovers from the Australians in the first quarter, prompting Dubberley to call his first time-out much earlier than usual to try and settle his squad.
Whatever he said had the desired effect, with Japan conceding four turnovers of their own in the second quarter while the Steelers did not relinquish one.
After the Steelers took a 27-25 lead into half-time, the second half was a colossal struggle between two rivals who rarely fail to deliver epic contests.
“We were down early and the resilience of our players, their problem-solving, and the way they worked hard for each other to get back into the game was such an awesome effort, I’m so proud of them,” Dubberley said.
“We know these games against Japan are always incredible battles. If you want to watch the best matches in our sport and promote it, the best place to start is always a match between Australia and Japan.
“We coughed up some ball early, but I used a time out to settle the group and we slowly worked our way back into it. I’m so proud of the way they responded, because after the way we started, things could have derailed very quickly.”
“I’m just super proud of the way all the guys have taken on the feedback and information. They’re trusting in our plans. We’ve made some changes throughout the tournament and they have really adapted and taken it on well which is what gave us the win today.”
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Held every four years to coincide with the Rugby Union World Cup in the same host country, the International Wheelchair Rugby Cup features the world’s top eight teams.
In the previous tournament in Japan, the Steelers defeated the host country by one goal in the semi-final before they were trounced by the United States in the gold medal game.
With a chance to now go one better against Canada, victory would secure their first tournament victory since the 2022 World Championship last October.
The two teams met in the pool rounds last Wednesday, with Canada prevailing 49-48.
“They knocked us off by one in the first game of the tournament but I think this team has really been building some great confidence and momentum throughout this tournament,” Dubberley said.
“We know we’re in a massive battle against these guys but nothing is unachievable for our team.
“We’ve been in a lot of major finals over the years, we’re confident, we feel natural and at home in finals and that’s what we want to do here. Be relaxed, positive and confident and we’ll get the result. I’m confident we’ll be able to do that”
Australia plays Canada in the gold medal final at 4am on Monday (AEDST). All matches can be watched on the World Wheelchair Rugby YouTube channel.
International Wheelchair Rugby Cup: Paris, France – 18 – 21 October, 2023
Australian Steelers – Fixtures (times in AEDT)
Oct 18 – CAN 49 def AUS 48
Oct 20 – AUS 50 def GBR 48
Oct 21 – AUS 57 def DEN 50
Semi-finals: Oct 22
12am: CAN v FRA
2am: AUS v JPN
Medal Matches: Oct 23
Bronze Medal Match – 2:30am
Japan vs France
Gold Medal Match – 4:00am
Australia vs Canada
By: Tim Mannion, Paralympics Australia
Posted: 22 October 2023
Image: Megumi Masuda
