Last Leg star Adam Hills visits parliament to celebrate Physical Disability Rugby League

Drew Darbyshire

The Last Leg host Adam Hills was welcomed to Parliament on Wednesday to celebrate the first ever Physical Disability Rugby League match in the UK.

Hills was joined by representatives from Warrington Wolves and Leeds and they were greeted by the local Members of Parliament for the Wolves and Rhinos.

Local Members of Parliament Alex Sobel MP and Faisal Rashid MP had previously tabled an early day motion in the House of Commons, to welcome the concept and congratulate all involved. Both clubs were presented with a framed copy of the motion.

Physical Disability Rugby League is a modified version of the game which involves both full contact and touch tackle options, to allow all players who have physical disabilities to participate.

The first match was played on Sunday 4 February between Warrington Wolves and Leeds Rhinos, with The Last Leg’s Adam Hills and Alex Brooker playing for Warrington and Leeds respectively.

Speaking after the visit, Member of Parliament for Leeds North West, Alex Sobel MP, said: “It was a pleasure to welcome Adam Hills and representatives from the Leeds Rhinos and Warrington Wolves Foundations to Parliament, and hear about the fantastic work that has been done to establish Physical Disability Rugby League in the UK. The Leeds Rhinos Foundation does excellent work in my constituency, harnessing the power of rugby league to change lives, and it is great that they have been able to launch this concept.”

Faisal Rashid MP, Member of Parliament for Warrington South, added: “it is fantastic that Adam Hills and Alex Brooker have been involved with the development of Physical Disability Rugby League, and I hope that their involvement will help to further promote the opportunities available for all to take part in this great sport. I’m delighted that the Warrington Wolves Foundation have developed a team for those with physical disabilities, and look forward to supporting their work further as they seek to enrich, inspire and celebrate the Warrington community.”

All-Party Parliamentary Rugby League Group Chair and Member of Parliament for Bradford South, Judith Cummins MP, also attended and said: “the All-Party Parliamentary Rugby League Group is committed to supporting and promoting all formats of the sport, and it is great to see the work that is being done to provide more opportunities for those with physical disabilities to take part in the sport. Rugby league is proud to be an inclusive sport, and I hope that more people will get involved with all versions of the game.”