Jacob, 14, was born with an upper limb deficiency due to amniotic band syndrome. But this hasn’t stopped him playing the game he’s loved since he was a small child.
At the age of 8, Jacob was spotted by his rugby coach playing in a football game. His mum remembers ‘When Jacob was 8 years old, athletically, nothing would stop him. He went over to play rugby when he was spotted by his now coach and loved it from the minute he started, so much so, he stopped playing football. With football we had to pester him to get ready to go, however with rugby he was up ready and dressed to go! He never wanted to miss a game or training session. He found a sport he truly loves.’
“I just love playing. I don’t let my arm hold me back in any way.”
Jacob soon started playing contact rugby aged 9 and it’s the part of the game he loves most, ‘I just love tackling! Not something you get the chance to do in football’.
Despite his physical challenge Jacob has never let it hold him back or put him off. His parents feel exactly the same. They just want him to have fun and enjoy the game. But how others perceive him playing hasn’t been lost on them. Jacob’s mother recalled over hearing parents at a game discussing her son, ‘They didn’t know I was listening or that I was his mum, but I heard them say that kid is really good. They sounded shocked. Like they weren’t expecting him to be as good as he was. I thought that was funny’. People put expectations on Jacob that neither he nor his parents ever have. ‘He has always shown such determination in everything he has learnt to do. We are extremely proud of him.’
KEEP EXPLORING
KYLIE GRIMES MBE
