England Lead France in Wheelchair Final, Then Win 50-38
England beat France 50-38 in Wollongong to become the first nation to win the Wheelchair Rugby League World Cup three times. Joe Coyd scored four tries and Jack Brown a hat-trick in a bruising final that France pushed hard through the second half.
England led France for most of the Wheelchair Rugby League World Cup final in Wollongong, Australia, and won 50-38 to become the first nation to lift the trophy three times.
It was a peerless finish to a tense match. Joe Coyd scored four tries, including the opening two, and Jack Brown added a hat-trick.
How the final unfolded
England started in control through Coyd's early tries. Then came a flashpoint. Mason Billington was penalised for shoving Leo Hivernat to the ground, and France used the momentum to score in the corner through Jeremy Bourson.
Damien Dore, Hivernat and Florian Guttadoro all crossed as well before England hit back. Rob Hawkins evaded two French defenders and laid on a try for Brown, swinging the contest England's way before the break.
France came out fast after the interval, and Dany Denuwelaere's try underlined their whirlwind restart. England answered at once. Hawkins grounded the ball acrobatically in the right corner to restore a six-point lead.
England then pulled away. Coyd's fourth try and two second-half scores from Brown put them well clear. Denuwelaere completed his own hat-trick late on, but it did not change the result.
A physical contest
The match at the Wollongong Entertainment Centre was thunderous. Heavy chair smashes and bruising collisions punctuated the play, and emotions threatened to boil over more than once. Officials had to rebuild a set of goalposts, and players received running repairs to their equipment.
Hawkins, of the Halifax Panthers, recently became the first player in any form of rugby league to win three successive Golden Boots. The International Rugby League governing body awards that prize to the best player in the world each calendar year. He scored two tries in the final.
Scorers
England's tries came from Coyd (4), Hawkins (2) and Brown (3). Hawkins and Collins kicked six goals between them.
France's tries came from Bourson, L Hivernat, Dore, Guttadoro and Denuwelaere (3). L Hivernat kicked three goals and N Clausells two.
Rivalry and ladder
The two nations have been closely matched. Since Tom Halliwell's last-gasp try secured a 28-24 win in Manchester in 2022, England and France had met four times, with each winning twice.
England said before and during the tournament that they wanted to win the trophy rather than defend it. Hawkins revealed during the competition that the team kept a ladder in their dressing room, spray painting a rung gold after each victory.
The win completed the ladder. It also offset the disappointment of England's men's and women's teams, who both went out in the group stage.
