By Henry Jacobs

The Australian Deaf Rugby side will embark on a landmark tour of Samoa this week, kick starting a two-year period that will see the side tour three separate continents.

The opportunity to represent Australia provides players with a unique chance to express themselves in ways that many thought were impossible.

“Deaf rugby is such a genuinely good thing, a lot of the players didn’t believe they could compete in a contact sport and it’s such an important thing for not only them but their families as well,” Australian flanker Dave Kearsey said.

“The biggest barrier we have is just reaching the potential deaf players so we can raise the profile and get our name out there…we need anyone with a severe hearing disability to know that playing rugby for their country is available.”

The side will become the first Australian national rugby team to play in Samoa when it travels to Apia to take on the Samoan deaf side at the new Apia Park Stadium on June 6.

A week later the side heads to Christchurch to take on a much-fancied Deaf Blacks outfit in the Cochlear Cup

“They [New Zealand] have spent a lot of time and put in a lot of work with the All Blacks and their resources, so to be able to play them and be affiliated with them is a huge thing…to reach that level is our plan and what we’d like to do,” coach Richard Coulthard said.

Australia will compete at the Deaf Rugby World Championships in Wales in June next year, before travelling to Havana to play the Cuban national side.

“If we were able to win the Deaf World Cup it’s similar to the Wallabies,” Coulthard said.

“If you’re able to win anything I think that you are going to be able to gain a lot of benefit with players and sponsorship money.”

Australia will be the first western national rugby side to play in Cuba since the relaxation of sanctions.

“I really don’t know what to expect from the Cubans, it’s going to be tough to get a win, but we are really looking forward to getting over there,” Kearsey says.

Currently the deaf rugby program is self-funded by the players and their families, which is particularly challenging given many struggle to maintain consistent employment as a result of their disability.

“The biggest problem is not being able to get the time off work, the guys playing have to take their own holidays and they are using a few weeks to be able to play for their country,” says Coulthard.

“They’ve got to pay their own airline tickets, their own gear and even though we get some of it sponsored it’s very difficult because they’ve got to come up with their own money.”

The team also faces unique financial challenges such as the hiring of interpreters to assist players with high levels of hearing loss.

Such obstacles often impact the ability of squad members to participate in tours.

“I’ve seen at times players who have been selected for their country but can’t come because they don’t have the money, to not be able to play for your country because you can’t afford it is not right,” Kearsey says.

“Any avenues we can pursue to get some funding would be brilliant.”

Potential players or sponsors looking to get in touch with Deaf Rugby Australia can do so via email and Facebook.

deafrugby@hotmail.com
facebook.com/DeafRugbyAustralia