The wheelchair rugby team breaking barriers and changing lives

Rugby has always claimed to be the sport for everyone, all shapes and sizes, and now a version of the game that takes contact to another level is going some way to proving it.

The men and women of the Caledonian Crushers have the same mentality as any rugby player; they just don’t have the same mobility. But that disappears when they pull on the navy kit—wheelchair rugby provides the opportunity to be players, the chance to show their competitiveness, aggression, and all that comes with playing rugby.

Donald Hutton explains it pretty well:

“You go into a restaurant and they’re dragging chairs and tables about, you know, ‘Oh my God there’s a guy in a wheelchair. Stand back! Get back!’ And you go, ‘I play wheelchair rugby. Get in a chair and I’ll show you. And then we’ll see who’s fragile!’”

And with that, you have your introduction to the latest film in The Spirit of Rugby series.

The Famous Grouse: The Spirit of Rugby

The Famous Grouse whisky brand typifies Scotland’s approach to skill, craft, and an unwavering dedication to be the best of the best. Through its The Spirit of Rugby campaign, it seeks to celebrate those common values by shining a light on the corners of the game and the lesser-known characters who make the sport special.

The Caledonian Crushers is a wheelchair rugby club based in Glasgow. The sport of wheelchair rugby has moved on from its loose early incarnation as Murderball, but it has lost none of the battle elements that make it both attractive to many and enough to make supporters cower at the side of the court.

The Power of Rugby

The Spirit of Rugby film takes us into Donald’s world—how he came to suffer a spinal injury, how his life changed, and, upliftingly, where rugby became a salvation.

Donald’s honesty makes for a difficult watch at times, but it helps us understand the incredible role that rugby, and its social connections, play in society.

We also hear from Jen Lang, an attacker to Donald’s defender, who was first drawn to the sport after watching it in the 2012 Paralympics. She makes no secret of what has brought her to wheelchair rugby—and what keeps her coming back.

“The physicality of the sport is so intense sometimes,” she says with a steely expression. “I tend to take quite a lot of big hits.

“I’m still like a very happy person, but when I play wheelchair rugby, I’m a little bit more … brutal.”

The intense stare gives way to a giggle, and the film cuts away to the type of brutal tackling she is talking about.

“To be able to smash into the boys when they’re annoying me or I’ve had a hard day makes me like, yeah, you know—it makes me feel good.”

A Growing Sport

Wheelchair rugby first developed in Canada and the USA through the 1970s and 80s. It was introduced as a demonstration sport at the Atlanta Paralympics in 1996 and became a medal sport in Sydney in 2000. It has been competed at every Games since.

But while the performance element has grown, it is the grassroots game that still has the biggest impact. With nearly 40 countries now developing the game, its popularity continues to rise.

In Glasgow, they have been playing since 2010 and competing in the Great Britain Wheelchair Rugby Championships since 2012. Now, they have both junior and senior teams. But it’s more—much more—than just playing.

“Rugby has given me my life back,” says Donald, emotions clear. “It’s given me a … purpose. You know?

“In your day-to-day life, you’re limited in what you can and cannot do, but when you’re on court—the adrenaline, the endorphins—you’re just on a high, just buzzing. You wake up the next day, ‘Right world, you’re getting it! I’m taking you right on!’”

Rugby has always had the ability to inspire, but few do it as well as these Crushers.

The Spirit of Rugby Film

Through its The Spirit of Rugby campaign, The Famous Grouse is shining a light on the soul of grassroots rugby and the characters that make the sport so special.