Canada’s wheelchair rugby team will draw on their conditioning and depth of talent as they try to roll the world’s best wheelchair rugby players off the court in Richmond this weekend.
“We like to run an attack offence and play hard defence,” said coach Kevin Orr, following the team’s 48-41 win over Great Britain yesterday during the opening match of the 2010 World Wheelchair Rugby Championships.
“We feel that our conditioning is stronger than teams here and we definitely have the deepest bench.”
Eleven of Canada’s 12 players saw game action against the Brits at the Richmond Olympic Oval yesterday. Orr, the former coach of Team USA, said the depth of talent speaks to a greater awareness of the sport in Canada, where it originated.
“It was a blast,” said co-captain David Willsie about playing before the energized hometown crowd, which included 11 of his family members who flew from Ontario to watch.
“I’ve played seven major international tournaments with Paralympics and World Championships and to be on home soil with the crowd behind us … I’m jacked right now.”
