Troop Sgt Neirin Butler joined the Welsh Guards in 2002 at the age of 16 before transferring to the Royal Army Medical Corps in 2012. He is currently serving in 1 Armoured Medical Regiment in Sennelager, Germany.
Butler began playing rugby at the age of seven and will line up at centre in this weekend’s Second Test. At 6ft 2’ and 14 stone he’s sure to be on the frontline of Wales’ attack and defence as they seek to extend their unbeaten run against England to six victories and retain the Broadstreet Cup.
He won his first cap in this January’s first Test at Fylde where Wales narrowly defeated England 17-15.
“To gain my first cap against England was simply an amazing feeling” says Butler. “Nearly all my friends and family know I have hearing loss and use a hearing aid. Despite this, I was still nervous about telling people that I’d been selected to play but when I did, it was met with nothing but pride, praise and unbelievable support. I was also lucky enough to have my dad and sister travel up to watch the game as well.”
He has served on operations in Bosnia and Iraq, where in 2005 he was injured and damaged his hearing. Butler stopped playing for around four years but slowly got back into the game after being asked to take part in a charity match with friends. Following his injury and hanging up his boots, he never considered playing again let alone representing his country.
He continues; “I am currently playing for the Army Medical Services, the British Army in Germany and whenever I’m home on leave, I still enjoy a game for my local side, St Julian’s High School Old Boys.
“The support given by my Regiment, Corps and Chain of Command has been fantastic and I’m grateful to them for giving me this amazing opportunity to represent Wales.”
Butler says he became aware of deaf rugby after playing a charity match with other serving and ex-serving players. When one of the players mentioned that he was playing rugby for England Deaf after suffering hearing loss, he quickly wanted to find out more. Soon after contacting Wales Deaf Rugby, he was invited along to a training session where he made an instant impact.
Speaking from his base in Germany, Butler says; “I’ve always tried to look for the positives in everything and gaining my first international cap has taught me that no matter how bad your accident, injury or disability, there are always opportunities for your dreams to come true.”
Entry for Wales Deaf v England Deaf is £10 for adults with free entry for children under 16.
