Bury rugby player celebrates achievements of deaf players

Rob Rusel, 30, is celebrating the recent success of his amateur team Bury RUFC who were victorious at the Papa John’s Community Cup at Darlington Area earlier this month.

The team, which was first established in 1875, beat Derby-based squad Rolls Royce RUFC at a match on Sunday, May 7.

The team beat three teams to reach the final and secure the win.

The forward, who has been playing the sport since he was 17, said their success was testament to the hard work and dedication the team had showed especially when playing together became tough during the pandemic.

Rob Rusel has been playing Rugby since he was 17-years old, and says the sport is like a brotherhood (Image: Rob Rusel)

He said: “We all managed to stay together through Covid, it’s like a brotherhood, if one of us wins we all win together.

“We annihilated a team called Rolls Royce, it was a high scoring team but they just couldn’t compete.”

As well as playing for the Bury amateur team, Rob also plays for the England Deaf Rugby Union, a team comprised of players from all around the UK who are deaf or hard of hearing.

Rob says playing for team has helped him and his non-hearing-impaired teammates adapt to his disability as well as opening his eyes to challenges faced by deaf people.

The England Deaf Rugby Union Squad is ranked third the world (Image: Rob Rusel)

Playing for the union also inspired the former security guard to leave his job of seven years to take up a position at Cygnet Hospital on the deaf ward.

The England Deaf Rugby Union, which was first set up in 2003 and includes four players from Bury, aims "to bring deaf people together" and show that deaf people can play rugby.

The team recently competed in Argentina for the World Deaf Rugby Sevens Championship where they reached the semi-finals but were beaten by Wales. The team is now ranked third in the world at Rugby Sevens.

Rob says that his hearing impairment can bring some challenges to the game, especially when interacting with the referee or with opponent players who don’t know he has hearing loss, but his teammates find ways to support each other.

The England Deaf Rugby Union team in Argentina with members of the South African deaf team (Image: Rob Rusel)

He said: “If I don’t hear the ref and I can’t hear the ref someone might tap me.”

Rob discovered the team through friends and social media, says many people may not be aware the union is out there.

He said: “It’s just getting awareness out, it’s all about showing awareness and showing awareness of rugby.

“After a match you hug it out and go to the bar and get a drink, it helps with mental health, it helps with a lot of things.”