When Mitch Simpson takes to the court for the Wheel Blacks in front of his parents and 11-year-old son at the WWR 2025 Asia Oceania Wheelchair rugby Championship in Bangkok, Thailand this week (20-24 November), there will be few prouder people in Aotearoa New Zealand.
After experiencing a challenging journey, which included a broken neck following a car accident ten years ago, Mitch has emerged a stronger and more resilient individual.
“By representing my country in Wheelchair rugby I’ve shown what I can achieve,” he says. “I went through some colourful teenage years and to come out of the other side after my injury and for my parents and son to travel out to Thailand to watch me compete will be very emotional.”
Raised for a large portion of his childhood on a dairy farm 25km from Taupo, he grew up playing multiple sports. He competed in swimming, rugby and BMX before leaving school where he worked in roof insulation.
However, life was to take a different path when he was involved in a car accident as a passenger while travelling on SH5 between Napier and Taupo. Breaking his C5 and C6 vertebrae, he spent two months recovering in ICU.
It was during this period on a ventilator and with tubes in his mouth, he admits his son, Elijah, who was aged one at the time, would initially not approach him.
“At first he was a little bit afraid and didn’t want to come near me, which broke my heart,” admits Mitch. “But once the tubes were removed and he could see my face again, he was happy to see me and would fall asleep next to me in bed. That was the moment, I knew everything would be okay.”
Possessing a naturally positive demeanour, Mitch was first introduced to Wheelchair rugby after meeting Paralympian #223 Gavin Rolton while rehabilitating at the Auckland Spinal Unit. Gavin, who now serves as Head Coach for the Wheel Blacks, was on the hunt for new players, and Mitch was instantly keen to participate.
“I remember at the spinal unit getting the nurses to push me over in bed to watch them train. I love the contact, the crash and bang of the Para sport. But I also took inspiration from watching others with similar injuries play and train together.”
However, following several post-accident surgeries, it was only in late-2018 when he first tasted the Para sport after relocating to Hamilton. Playing with the Waikato Wheelchair rugby team, he recalls pushing “as slow as a snail” and rolling the ball off his knees to pass in that first ever training session.
However, despite the challenges he was immediately hooked on the Para sport.
“While it looks like madness out on court, there is a real strategy to Wheelchair rugby,” he says. “I really loved the technical side of the game, learning and becoming better.”
After developing his game in the Waikato, five years ago he relocated to Christchurch to start a Bachelor of Commerce in Agribusiness and Accountancy, and he has continued to refine his game with the Christchurch Chargers.
A low point player (0.5), with a more limited level of function than many of his teammates and opposition, his primary role is to defend and act as a screener for the high point players.
Fully committed to fulfilling his Wheelchair rugby talent, he trains twice a week on the court, carries out additional ball skills sessions and builds fitness in the gym, through regular pushes around the local park and swimming. He further builds his Wheelchair rugby IQ by spending hours watching videos of the best low point players both domestically and internationally.
Appreciative of the family support he has received in Christchurch, this has enabled Mitch to fully focus on his Wheelchair rugby development, and he was rewarded by making his Wheel Blacks debut at the Wheelchair rugby World Challenge event in Adelaide.
“It was amazing,” he says of the experience. “When they played the national anthem and we did the haka with the rest of the team, it was such an overwhelming feeling. You really feel the mana from it. As a new player, I didn’t expect a lot of court time, but I did get on court a lot which I was over the moon with.”
Mitch has since played for the Wheel Blacks in the Japan Para Wheelchair rugby Tournament in July and next up for the 32-year-old is his biggest challenge to date, the Asia Oceania Championships in Bangkok, where the Wheel Blacks will be seeking to secure qualification for the 2026 World Wheelchair rugby Championships in Brazil.
So, what does Mitch hope to achieve in Thailand?
“We just hope to win and do our best,” says Mitch. “If we win, we win, but if we don’t, I just hope we’ve left it all out on the court.”
Excited his parents, including dad, Phil, who has a degenerative brain disease, and his son will be present in Bangkok. He hopes Thailand can act as a potential springboard to fulfilling his future ambition of representing the Wheel Blacks at the LA28 Paralympic Games.
Yet whatever lies on the road ahead, there is little doubting the positive impact Wheelchair rugby has made on Mitch, who works two days a week as a peer support for the NZ Spinal Trust.
“I’m so much more independent because of Wheelchair rugby,” he explains. “It helps with the underlying day-to-day stuff that you don’t really think about. You see squad members do things, and that then makes me think that I can give things a go. Playing Para sport has definitely improved my life. It has given me the chance to travel the world and I’m so lucky I get to hang out with a bunch of teammates, who I now call not only my friends, but also my family.”
***The WWR 2025 Asia Oceania Wheelchair rugby Championship takes place in Bangkok, Thailand from Nov 20-24.
