England 50–38 France: England win the Wheelchair Rugby League World Cup for a record third time
England beat France 50–38 in the Wheelchair Rugby League World Cup final in Wollongong on Friday to become the first nation to win the title three times. Joe Coyd scored four tries and was named player of the final, Jack Brown added a hat-trick and Rob Hawkins scored twice and was presented with the IRL Golden Boot at full-time. England led 28–22 at half-time in a final where the lead changed four times; France's Dany Denuwelaere scored a hat-trick in defeat.
Key points
- England beat France 50–38 in Wollongong to win the Wheelchair Rugby League World Cup for a record third time.
- Joe Coyd scored four tries and was player of the final; Jack Brown scored three and Rob Hawkins two, and Hawkins received the IRL Golden Boot.
- England led 28–22 at half-time in a final where the lead changed four times; Dany Denuwelaere's hat-trick kept France in it.
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What happened
England and France are the wheelchair game's two dominant nations: they have contested all five World Cup finals, and four years ago in Manchester England won 28–24 with a last-gasp try. Friday's final in Wollongong was just as open — England raced ahead through two early Coyd tries, France came back to lead, and the sides were level three times before England took a 28–22 lead into half-time.
In the second half Denuwelaere completed a hat-trick for France, but Coyd's fourth try, Hawkins' second and two more from Brown took England clear, and they closed out a 50–38 win. The title is a bright finish to England's World Cup campaign in Australia, where the men's and women's teams both went out in the group stage.
What we know / what we don't know yet
What we know
- The final result: England 50, France 38, with England leading 28–22 at half-time.
- The scorers: Coyd 4, Brown 3 and Hawkins 2 for England; Denuwelaere 3 and four other scorers for France.
- That Coyd was player of the final and Hawkins was presented with the IRL Golden Boot at full-time.
What we don't know yet
- The official attendance for the final — it was not in the reporting read.
Claim by claim
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Why this label: The result and the try count agree across the official NRL match report, BBC Sport and Sky Sports.
On the ladder: a claim earns Verified from primary evidence, or from two independent sources that do not copy each other.
Why this label: The scoring summary is BBC Sport's, and NRL.com's report agrees on the scorers and the half-time score.
On the ladder: a claim earns Verified from primary evidence, or from two independent sources that do not copy each other.
Why this label: Both honours are in the official match report of the final.
On the ladder: a claim earns Verified from primary evidence, or from two independent sources that do not copy each other.
Why this label: The title history agrees across Sky Sports and the official NRL report.
On the ladder: a claim earns Verified from primary evidence, or from two independent sources that do not copy each other.
Why this label: The play-off result is in the official match report.
On the ladder: a claim earns Verified from primary evidence, or from two independent sources that do not copy each other.
Why it matters
England are now the first nation to win the wheelchair title three times, and they did it against the only other nation ever to win it — in a 16-try final that swung back and forth until the last quarter.
Background
Show the background timeline (4)
England win the first Wheelchair Rugby League World Cup, held in Australia.
France beat England in both finals to win their two titles.
England beat France 28–24 in Manchester to regain the title.
England beat France 50–38 in Wollongong to win a record third title, back to back.
Update history
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Published. Basis: the official NRL match report, with BBC Sport and Sky Sports in agreement.