Wheel Blacks return

The Wheel Blacks and Australia will renew their rivalry in a fivematch test series in Christchurch next month.

It will mark the first time the Wheel Blacks have played in the Garden City since the World Championship in 2006, a tournament the Kiwis finished second in.

The five tests against the Paralympic champions will be played at Pioneer Stadium from April 7-9, and the winner will walk away with the Ken Sowden Cup.

Christchurch man Sowden gave up much of his life to disabled sport, particularly wheelchair rugby in New Zealand and Australia.

The tournament has been established to build the sport in both countries, and kicks off the international season and journey towards the 2018 World Championship in Australia.

It will also provide an invaluable opportunity to assess where the team is at with a distant eye on the Tokyo 2020 Paralympics.

Christchurch man Cody Everson has been named in the eight-strong squad and will get a rare chance to play in front of a home crowd.

He was paralysed in an awkward tackle while playing rugby for Shirley Boys’ High School in 2011.

The Wheel Blacks last won gold at the Paralympics in 2004, while they are still chasing their first World Championship gold.