Soldiering on with optimistic air as Simpson eyes World Cup glory
Peter Smith meets a former soldier who candidly admits that rugby league has provided a new lease of life after he suffered horrific injuries in Afghanistan.
WHEN an improvised explosive device took away both his legs in Afghanistan 11 years ago, James Simpson’s old life ended and a new one began – built around rugby league.
No longer able to serve in the forces, Leeds-born Simpson took up the wheelchair game as a way of keeping fit and for something to do.
A decade on, he is now not only a star player with Leeds Rhinos, who finished top of the wheelchair game’s Super League last year and lifted the Challenge Cup, but also an England international and ambassador for the 2021 World Cup.
That role led to an invite to Buckingham Palace for January’s tournament draw, conducted by Prince Harry and, looking back, Simpson says the sport has played a “massive” part in him being able to move on from the horrific events of 2009.
“It has totally changed my life,” said Simpson of wheelchair rugby league, a unisex, nationwide and fast-growing version of the code.
“I train for the game and I constantly think about the game.
“I think after being in the Army for so long and getting injured, it gave my life a new direction I would never have taken and gave me a sense of purpose.
“For me, wheelchair rugby league – and rugby league as a whole – is huge.
“Every single day of my life is built around wheelchair rugby league or rugby league.”
Simpson, who was serving with the 1st Battalion Yorkshire Regiment, also lost three fingers and suffered damage to an arm in the explosion, which “feels like it was about 30 years ago”.
He said: “I went through some old photos the other day and it was so long ago it almost feels like I have forgotten about it.
“Looking at the pictures was bringing it back and it was like a whole different life.”
Though he supported the Rhinos as a youngster, Simpson did not play the sport seriously until after being injured.
After rising rapidly through the playing ranks he now has ambitions to go into coaching and he began helping with community club Guiseley Rangers’ Under-10s just before the sport shut down due to the coronavirus pandemic.
“We played our first game of the season the week before,” he recalled.
“I am from Guiseley and I want to give back to the club and get involved, but now that’s been knocked on the head.
“That was something I was really excited about, I had done my level two coaching course and safeguarding courses but then it was over for the rest of the year, potentially.”
Coaching offers Simpson an opportunity to stay involved with rugby league when he retires from playing. He pointed out: “I am 34 this year, so next year at the World Cup I’ll be 35 and probably the oldest in the squad, if I get selected.
“I have only got a few years left in me, so coaching is definitely the next step on the ladder. If I can coach at Leeds that’ll be even better, because I know the players and how the team works and it would be a massive honour.
“Coming on board with Guiseley Rangers is taking me out of my comfort zone. I think if I can coach a bunch of Under-10s, ablebodied, I should be able to coach wheelchair in a few years.”
The wheelchair season had barely got started when a halt was called, much to Simpson’s disappointment. He said: “We were going into this year with a new-look team and we’d had a really good pre-season, trialing things out and then we played one game, away to North Wales and it was all over.
“I am hoping it will restart by the end of July, but that might just be me being optimistic; some of the players think we might not come back at all, because the Grand Final is in September and we have got nine games left, without the Challenge Cup.
“Getting those nine games in is a big ask. I want it to come back, but it’s a tough one. I hope we do get some domestic fixtures, even if we have to totally rejig the season.”
Internationally, the period between now and the World Cup is crucial for England, but scheduled Tests versus France in June are almost certain to be cancelled and this autumn’s Ashes against Australia – the Wheelaroos – is also in doubt.
“I hope they come over at the end of the year, that’s the one thing we are really holding out for,” said Simpson.
“They were going to have two games against us (England) and another couple of games as well.
“That was all pretty much nailed on to happen, so hopefully it still goes ahead.”
I went through some old photos the other day and it seems so long ago James Simpson on being blown up in 2009