Leixlip Youngster Looking Ahead To World Cup With Ireland's Wheelchair Rugby Team

Ireland are currently ranked third in the world

Wheelchair Rugby League Ireland is preparing to travel to Australia later this month to compete in the World Cup.

Ireland are currently ranked third in the world, and have won the Celtic Cup three years in a row.

Among those travelling 'down under' for the competition is 20-year-old Leixlip man Óran Spain, who was diagnosed with a rare auto-immune degenerative disease when he was only two-and-a-half-years-old. 

Known as X-Linked Lymphoproliferative Disease (XLP), the young man underwent a bone marrow transplant when he was just three years old.

The transplant saved his life, but the complications resulted in significant mobility issues and long-term damage to his joints.

He has been in a wheelchair since the age of eight, and is now studying Sports Science in Maynooth University.

Speaking on Kildare Today, he spoke about his journey with the Wheelchair Rugby League since his introduction to it in 2022:

"I've always loved rugby since I was young, I always try to get to the Leinster games, I was in [to play on the team ] from the word go, and I've never looked back.

"When I was younger, I wanted to play with Johnny Sexton and all, it's still the same dream, it's just changed a little. It's amazing."

Now getting ready for his second World Cup in the green jersey, he has also enjoyed his club pursuits with Leinster and has also spent the last two seasons competing in England's Super League, representing Wigan.

"The last time [I went to the World Cup] I had been playing the game for two months when I got selected, and now I've been playing for four years and it's a bit different this time around.

"We were probably the worst team in the World Cup [four years ago]," he admitted.

"The team is completely different now, we didn't win a game then, but now we're ranked third in the world and can hopefully have a good shot at it, and hopefully can win the whole tournament," he continued.

Also speaking on the show was manager of RLI (and Óran's mother), Susan Spain:

"It has been hard, our biggest challenge has been finding halls [to train in] and finding funding, it's a very small amount of funding we get from Sport Ireland, through RLI, we've had to put our hands out an awful lot to get the use of halls.

Looking ahead to the World Cup, she reflects on the amount the game has grown, compared to the situation before the 2022 competition:

"Prior to 2022 we would have had three players on the Ireland team from Ireland, it took a long to come in to the island of Ireland, Rugby League wouldn't have been that big at the time."

The Celtic Cup in 2023, held in Galway, was followed by the growth of provincial teams across Ireland, allowing for more players to add to their squad depth.

The World Cup kicks off on 30 October, with eight teams competing for glory in Australia, with Ireland hoping to right the wrongs of the 2022 campaign.

The full interview can be heard below: