Five VIS scholarship holders are set to feature in the upcoming Australian Steelers USA tour, in preparation for next year’s World Championships.
VIS scholarship holders, Nazim Erdem, Ben Fawcett, Andrew Harrison, Jason Lees and Jayden Warn were all named in the 11-man squad, led by captain Ryley Batt.
Their tour will see them compete in back-to-back tournaments in Phoenix, Arizona and San Diego, California on 10-19 November.
Australian Steelers Assistant Coach, Greg Smith, said that the tournaments weren’t part of the initial plan, but with the large gap in tournaments, the team needed an international hit-out before their next tournament in March.
“After the retirement of key players, we had to develop some of the younger guys sooner than we’d hoped to. This is a great opportunity for them to gain international experience without the added pressure of winning or losing.”
The Australian Steelers will first head to Phoenix where they will play a 5-game series against the Phoenix Ability360 Heat, before moving on to compete in the 28th Annual Best of the West Quad Rugby Tournament.
Image: Australian Paralympic Commitee
