England secured their third Wheelchair Rugby League World Cup by beating France 50-38 in a bruising final at the Wollongong Entertainment Centre in Australia on Friday. Joe Coyd’s four tries and Jack Brown’s hat-trick powered England to the win, while Rob Hawkins contributed two tries and six goals in a match defined by intense physicality and dramatic swings in momentum.
England and France have a tightly contested rivalry, with only 10 points separating the teams across their three previous World Cup finals in 2013, 2017, and 2022. Before this latest encounter, they had met four times since Tom Halliwell’s last-minute try gave England a 28-24 win in Manchester in 2022, with each side winning twice. England entered the tournament with an ambition not just to defend the title but to win it outright, a goal they achieved with a display that combined skill and resilience.
Coyd opened the scoring with two quick tries to set England on course, but France responded fiercely. After an early penalty against Mason Billington for shoving French player Leo Hivernat, Jeremy Bourson scored in the corner to ignite France’s comeback. Damien Dore, Hivernat, and Florian Guttadoro also crossed as France surged ahead. Dany Denuwelaere added another try early in the second half, underscoring France’s determination to claim a third World Cup.
England, however, regained control through Hawkins, who acrobatically scored in the right corner to restore a six-point lead before half-time. Hawkins, who recently became the first player in any form of rugby league to win three consecutive Golden Boots awarded to the world’s best player, also set up Brown for a crucial try before the break.
The match was marked by heavy collisions and chair crashes, with running repairs needed on equipment including a reconstruction of the goalposts. The physical nature of the game almost sparked emotional flare-ups but also produced moments of impressive skill.
England pulled away in the second half as Coyd scored his fourth try and Brown added two more to extend the lead. Despite Denuwelaere’s third try for France late in the game, England held firm to secure their place in history as the first nation to win the Wheelchair Rugby League World Cup three times.
Rob Hawkins, who battled illness during the tournament, was instrumental in England’s success. His performance included six goals and two tries that helped shift the momentum in England’s favour. The team’s success also offered a high point in a year when the men’s and women’s England rugby league teams had faced disappointment.
In the England dressing room, a ladder painted with gold rungs marks each World Cup victory. This latest win allowed Tom Coyd’s side to paint the final rung gold, symbolising their status at the top of the sport.
France finished with tries from Bourson, Hivernat, Dore, Guttadoro, and Denuwelaere, with Hivernat kicking three goals and N Clausells adding two. England’s goal-kickers Hawkins and Collins converted six times between them.
The final was a testament to the growing intensity and skill level in wheelchair rugby league, delivering an exciting, hard-fought contest that lived up to the sport’s rising profile on the world stage.
According to BBC Sports.
