‘This is a dream come true for me’

RUGBY in Limerick has broken a new barrier with the formation of a wheelchair-bound team.

And to add to their status, the MunStars rugby team from the Mid-West Spina Bifida Association’s Wheels in Motion sports club have got the full backing of Thomond Park which has come in as the team sponsor.

MunStars got off to a winning start with a victory over a volunteer team of board members and volunteers at the Delta Soccer Dome, Limerick, where they will play all their home games.

The board members and volunteers, including Munster rugby star Barry Murphy, played in the same type of specially adapted sports wheelchairs used by MunStars but were no match for their opponents.

MunStars captain Steven Casey said: “This is a dream come true for me and the rest of the lads on the team. I have loved all sports, especially rugby all my life but haven’t been able to play rugby until now. I cannot believe this day has finally arrived. It was great to get off to a winning start and we can always say we beat a team w

“We have got tremendous support from so many people, but not least our main sponsors The Lord’s Taverners charity and Ralph Parkes, who donated the funds for our specially-adapted sports wheelchairs. Having the Thomond Park name now on our jersey is the cherry on the pie and if that doesn’t inspire us on, nothing will.”

The MunStars players have given themselves every chance of success by also securing former Munster and UL Bohemian rugby figure, Michael Murphy, father of current Munster player Barry Murphy, as their specialist coach.

He will be supported in the role by another current Munster star Jerry Flannery, one of the Mid-West Spina Bifida Association’s long-standing patrons.

Lynn Buffington, general manager of Mid-West Spina Bifida, said: “The lads have played and won their first game. They are just really thrilled to be finally competing.

“Getting to a stage where they can now formally launch and have so many amazing supporters behind them at the same time is beyond their wildest initial expectations.”