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A project like this doesn't come round every day and when I was asked to choose someone
special and close to me it was a no-brainer, it was an easy choice for myself. For me this
is a really big honour. My mum has been there for me from day one, since I was born, through
the highs and the lows and she always will be. This was something so special I could
do for her as well.
She didn't really understand what the National Portrait Gallery was, but as soon as I explained
she was excited and a little bit nervous at the same time.
Something we do in the game is contact and speed and it's often difficult to replicate
that in photos, but me and Andy had a go good at it and I think we got some good shots.
Yeah I think so. We've done a few shoots now. We know what the cameras like. We know
how to encapsulate Rugby into an image and we really hope we've done that for the National
Portrait Gallery. Our sport is growing all the time and stuff
like this is an opportunity for players who might be out there and others to get involved.
They might see a photograph or something to do with Rugby and realise they might be able
to play. So it could open the doors for a lot of people out there.
It's really inspiring to watch. I know when I've seen GB players training and the level
of work they do and what can be achieved, it's inspiring.
It's definitely a positive reinforcement for disability. There has been that 180 degree
shift change that we are athletes first and disabled second and not just guys in chairs
'having a go'. We think that's really important to, not only general public, but particularly
young people growing up with disabilities to understand that in certain areas they can
be fanatically valuable and fantastic athletes. It's been a crazy few years with Rugby and
everything starting to take off. With London right around the corner everything is come
so fast. It's really exciting times. It's not once every four years, it's every
day this will represent the pinnacle of both our careers and we have worked for years to
put ourselves in contention to compete at the 2012 Games in London.
The Paralympic movement wasn't around in 1948 so we are the first paralympians in Great
Britain to compete in a home game. It's amazing enough to play for your country, it's enough
of an honour; in front of a home crowd, in my home city, you know, I can't overstate
that.