Richie wasn't allowed to play the sport he loves because of his disability — until Mixed Ability rugby came along. Join him on the journey to the most inclusive and competitive World Cup you've never seen.
Try! follows four Irish players who defy all expectations on their journey to the most inclusive and competitive World Cup you've never seen. This unique sport is 15-a-side, full contact rugby played by people with and without disabilities, all with the shared dream of lifting the World Cup trophy.
For years, Richie was told he’d never get to play rugby because of his autism, but The Rebels made it possible - and as Richie says himself, he intends to pay them back in blood, sweat and tears.
Join Richie, Maeve, Tommy and Paul, from wet and windy training nights to the nail-biting culmination of their World Cup dream. Try! is a celebration of the power of sport in creating community for those who never belonged before.
The Story
The Players
Richie Philpott
“When I step out on that pitch, only one thing crosses my mind: ruthless aggression!”
When he was younger, Richie yearned to play the sport he loved, but due to his autism, it seemed it would be forever kept at arm's length. That was until he joined the Rebels and his life changed utterly.
Richie daubs his face in warpaint not just for every game, but for every training session too. He is a gentle giant with a huge passion for rugby, military reenactments and Irish history. Once he crosses the white line of the rugby pitch, Richie goes to war!
Richie’s mission is to pay back the Rebels for everything they’ve given him - in blood, sweat and tears. And his ultimate goal is lifting the Mixed Ability Rugby World Cup.
Sundays Well Rebels
Maeve
"My team-mates are more like sisters to me"
Maeve eats, sleeps and drinks rugby. She is rugby-obsessed! A year out from the World Cup, she is practicing her skills daily, and studies her old matches on Youtube to keep learning and improving. As the clock ticks down, Maeve is named captain of the team. It's the role she was born to play.
Her friendships with her team-mates, and with her friend Clodagh in particular, show how sport can create bonds that no other environment can match. When Maeve hangs out with her team-mates, which she loves to do, all divisions and designations of 'ability' and 'disability' are rendered non-existent.
Just don't get in her way on the rugby pitch!
Ballincollig Trailblazers
“I see a good future coming. Takes time to light a fire, don’t it?!”
Living independently, Paul struggled with a lack of purpose in life. But now at age 40, he has found just that in the Vikings and Mixed Ability rugby. From a proud rugby family, Paul grew up watching his younger siblings play for Munster and Ireland, but never got the chance to take part himself. Now it's his turn.
A philosopher and a poet, Paul is as good at sharing a verse of poetry off the top of his head as he is at fearlessly crashing into an opposition tackle. Paul travels 220km just to get to rugby training. But he makes that trip every time, such is his passion for the Vikings and for the purpose they have given him.
DLSP Vikings
Paul Deacon
“I have such gratitude for this team and the friendships it’s given me. And we can only get better.”
The joker in the pack, Tommy is a barrel of laughs on and off the pitch. He is a founding member of the ‘5am Club’, a ragtag drinking crew at Mixed Ability events that welcomes all comers until all hours.
Tommy has also struggled with his mental health, but the Tornadoes environment has given him a new outlook on life, and a group of friends that he can open up to about how he is feeling. The other players look up to Tommy like an older brother, and Tommy will always go the extra mile for his Tornadoes team-mates.
Malone Tornadoes
Tommy Crawford
