Typical of most 24-year-olds, Robert thought he was bulletproof. It was Te Aroha’s big local derby day, 2009, and he was pitching in for the mighty Waihou Rugby Club. Ten minutes in, another player drove him headfirst into the ground. An electric shock went through him and straight away he knew he was in trouble. Spinal cord damage put him in a wheelchair and gave him limited use of his hands, though Robert’s the kind of person to see a limit and smash it. 

He soon fell in love with wheelchair rugby and is stoked to represent his country as a mainstay in the Wheel Blacks. The sport’s taken him around the globe to world championships and to the Tokyo Paralympics in 2021. Robert has an unquenchable thirst for new experiences and is always keen to get out and see new places, exploring his backyard through arm cycling, camping or on driving trips. He lives and breathes sport, putting his sport science degree to good use for Waikato Rugby Union in grassroots programmes. He’s proud to live independently and give back to the community that’s given him so much support. 

Robert is grateful to good friends and family, his employer WRU and the Rugby Foundation for phenomenal support. The foundation helped bring his sporting ambitions to life and has offered up incredible life experiences, including meeting rugby icons, attending big matches and, of course, the incomparable escapade of the Wellington Sevens.