A hearing-impaired rugby player from Bury will be jetting off to South Africa next month with the England squad.
Robert Russell, 31, will be flying to Johannesburg on Thursday, August 1 to begin a 10-day tour with the England Deaf Rugby Union team.
The team competed in Argentina last year for the World Deaf Rugby Sevens Championship where they reached the semi-finals but were beaten by Wales.
The England Deaf Rugby Union, which comprises of players from around the UK who are deaf or hard of hearing, is now ranked third in the world at Rugby Sevens.
Robert, who has been using a hearing aid for the past eight years, said: “I want to change the perception. Just because someone can’t hear, it doesn’t mean that they’re not as good as other players.
“My coach and teammates have been great and are happy to adapt through simple actions such as making sure they face me directly when they speak.
“It doesn’t change the game and I know that I can lean on my team when I need to."
The England Deaf Rugby Union was first set up in 2003.
As a registered charity, it does not receive any funding and volunteers and players do not receive payment for their involvement.
Robert has been working with several Bury businesses including The Gamecock in Fairfield and Sky Bar in Kay Gardens, who kindly donated funds towards new boots for the tour.
The former Tottington High School pupil has been playing for amateur team Bury RUFC since 2009 and discovered that rugby was a “healthy outlet” to help manage his ADHD.
Robert then joined the England Deaf Rugby Union 10 years later and still pays for both teams.
As he approaches the end of his rugby career, Robert wants to encourage other people who are hard of hearing or deaf to get involved in the sport.
He added: “I want to inspire other people to play and enjoy the game that I’ve loved so much over the years.
“I’ve met people from all backgrounds. We all share the same emotions and it’s helped me to develop some great friendships.”
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