Match days are a chance to meet up and enjoy Test match rugby, and one of the most enjoyable places to be at Twickenham is the Injured Players Foundation hospitality box, with its wheelchair accessible terrace.
For the opening match of the Autumn Nations Series, the atmosphere was great and one guest, James Lasis, was enjoying his first trip out of hospital since being injured playing for Stade Nicois in France.For the opening match of the Autumn Nations Series, the atmosphere was great and one guest, James Lasis, was enjoying his first trip out of hospital since being injured playing for Stade Nicois in France.
He was talking to IPF client Steve Kenyon who co-owns Draft Wheelchairs, whose chairs feature large at the Paralympics and who played for the GB Wheelchair Rugby team, with James clearly eyeing future potential involvement in sport.
At half-time Phil Vickery, who was at the stadium promoting the Play Together, Stay Together campaign to get players back into their boots and on the pitches, arrived to spend time chatting to IPF clients and their families.
James, now 26, was at the match with his brother Matt and his parents Karl and Judy. He had just signed for another two years at his French club and his mum and dad were watching his match on TV when a scrum collapsed, and it became clear that James was seriously injured.
Karl recalled: “James began getting involved in rugby when his older brother Matt was playing with Haywards Heath RFC’s Under Sevens. He used to run around getting in the way, someone threw him a rugby ball and from then on he never stopped playing.
“He was part of the Quins Academy, went to Loughborough to study chemistry and played for Loughborough’s National 1 team where he was coached by George Chuter who suggested he play second-row. At 20 he was still getting taller, so he moved from playing prop and played professionally first for Rotherham Titans and then Macon near Lyons, before joining Stade Nicois.
Former Team Mate At Bedside
“It was very tough getting out to him after his injury. We were in the midst of covid, but his surgeon phoned us every day and his former Macon team mate Pablo Salandria Ruiz took a week out from playing to sit by James’ bedside like family until we could be there. James had been put in an induced coma and Pablo was our link with him.”“It was very tough getting out to him after his injury. We were in the midst of covid, but his surgeon phoned us every day and his former Macon team mate Pablo Salandria Ruiz took a week out from playing to sit by James’ bedside like family until we could be there. James had been put in an induced coma and Pablo was our link with him.”
Once the family arrived brother Matt was allowed by his company Jaguar Landrover to work from France for five months.
Said mum Judy, “We have been so grateful for the support of the rugby family. Pablo was amazing and the Spinal Injuries Association put the IPF in touch with us. They have provided a special wheelchair for James which he operates with his chin, and an iPhone to stay in touch with family and friends. We are hoping to have him home from the Royal Buckinghamshire Hospital in time for Christmas and it was lovely for his first real outing to be here at Twickenham. The IPF is such a support both practically and emotionally and James being here with the others is like him being back in the changing room with his rugby team.”
Providing Elite Sports Wheelchairs
Steve Kenyon was injured playing for East Midlands U21s. He had been with Northampton U21s and played some development team and second team games. He says his opportunity with Draft Wheelchairs was something “I just fell into. I never saw myself part owning a company producing specialised wheelchairs, but I love it, it’s a great job.
Elite wheelchair sports is a passion. At Draft We produced eight or nine of the chairs for the team in the last Paralympics,” he said.
‘Having played for GB in wheelchair rugby like other IPF guys Andy Barrow, Ross Morrison, Justin Frishberg and John Burgess as well as seeing younger IPF clients Jack Smith MBE and Kieran Flynn in the current GB elite squad, elite wheelchair sports is a passion. At Draft We produced eight or nine of the chairs for the team in the last Paralympics,” he said.
As for the IPF and the sport: “There is something very special about rugby,” said Steve. “The IPF have helped me so much, helped me build an extension at my parents’ home. One of Northampton’s major sponsors was Travis Perkins so they helped too and some of the guys I played alongside were brickies so they turned up. If you do get injured, players at every level and people from all walks of life are there for you.”
