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Counties Manukau Rugby has partnered with Real World Living to give a group of local young adults with disabilities the chance to be involved in rugby.

The initiative sees the disabled athletes given a fit-for-purpose program to learn the basic physical and life skills associated with playing rugby.

The idea was the brainchild of Counties Manukau Rugby Community Rugby Champion John Hall, who worked with Jackie Turvey at Real World Living to make this opportunity possible.

“It all started with a Facebook post by Jackie from RWL, looking for people to help in giving young adults with disabilities a chance to participate in real world activities and experiences,” Hall said.

“So we met, and I presented a session plan that would get them activate, work on their coordination and working as individual’s and in teams, using rugby as the driver and real world living values.

“We called it FABS – Fun, Achievable, Belonging, Safe. Using basic rugby skills for an eight-week programme, 45-minute sessions. And the skills, fitness and responsibility of the group has improved, even with a few of them taking the lead in some activities as my assistant coaches.”

Hall is a big advocate about rugby being a game for everyone and he has worked hard to ensure that is the case with these young people.

“Rugby is for everyone, and this programme is perfect of what we say at Counties Manukau Rugby: ‘We exist to grow, empower, and inspire our community through Rugby’.”