England Retain Wheelchair Rugby League World Cup With Thrilling 50-38 Win Over France

WOLLONGONG — England are Wheelchair Rugby League World Cup champions for a third time after a breathless 50-38 victory over France in the final at the WIN Entertainment Centre in Wollongong on Friday.

Joe Coyd scored four tries and Jack Brown came off the bench to complete a hat-trick as Tom Coyd's side retained the trophy they won on home soil in 2022, becoming the first nation to lift the wheelchair world title three times, with England's name engraved on the IRL Cup once more, and the first England team of any kind to secure back-to-back World Cup triumphs.

The final lived up to every expectation, with the scores locked three times and the lead changing hands on four occasions.

Coyd, named player of the final, struck twice inside the opening minutes to give England a 10-0 lead. The first came from a penalty for a late tackle and the second followed a French handling error, and for a brief spell it looked as though the defending champions might run away with the match.

France, however, have contested all five wheelchair World Cup finals and refused to fold. Jeremy Bourson crossed in the left corner after a penalty went the French way, and Leo Hivernat raced away out wide to level the scores at 10-10. Damien Dore and Florian Guttadoro then scored in quick succession to put France 16-10 ahead, and the momentum belonged entirely to the Tricolores.

England needed a response and Coyd provided it, completing his hat-trick — Nathan Collins converting to cut the gap to six — before Golden Boot winner Rob Hawkins created a moment of magic in the final minutes of the first half. Brown chased Hawkins' kick and grounded the ball acrobatically for a contender for try of the tournament, and with the conversion England led 28-22 at the interval.

The second half was just as frantic. Dany Denuwelaere, France's outstanding forward, scored early after the restart, only for Hawkins to cross for his second try of the match and restore England's advantage. Coyd then used his considerable strength to power over for his fourth try, but Denuwelaere answered with another powerful effort and France trailed by only four points with just over fifteen minutes remaining.

That was as close as France came. Brown, who had already made a decisive impact from the bench, struck twice in quick succession to complete his hat-trick and stretch England's lead to 50-34 with ten minutes to play. Denuwelaere completed his own hat-trick in the final minute, but it was only a consolation as England closed out the game with calm control.

The victory completed a remarkable journey for a squad that arrived in Australia as defending champions and world number one, a position England have held since November 2022. Head coach Tom Coyd said before the tournament that his players had rejected the language of defence and retention, preferring what he called a hunter's mindset, and the performance in Wollongong was the fullest expression of that approach.

The preparation had included an unlikely team-bonding exercise. The squad took a surfing lesson together during their stay in Australia, an experience that gave rise to a "lifeguards and sharks" philosophy inside the camp: the lifeguards look after each other, the sharks hunt together. Jack Brown, who admitted afterwards that he felt as though he was having an out-of-body experience, said the players had promised to work hard for one another, and the final was won on exactly that commitment.

Brown's contribution was extraordinary. Introduced from the bench, he scored three tries, including the late double that finally broke French resistance, and his display capped a tournament in which England went through unbeaten. Hawkins, meanwhile, added two tries of his own and was presented with his IRL Golden Boot trophy at full time, the third time he has taken the honour.

For France, the defeat was painful but the performance confirmed their standing as the sport's other great power. Denuwelaere's hat-trick made him the standout French player on the night, and coach Cyril Torres was generous in defeat, telling England they had proved how good they are again while insisting he remained very proud of his own players.

The final was a rematch of the 2022 decider in Manchester, where England edged France 28-24 in front of a roaring home crowd. Four years on, the margin was wider but the contest was no less compelling, and the rivalry between the two nations remains the defining fixture in wheelchair rugby league.

England's triumph also offered a bright counterpoint to a difficult tournament for the nation's other teams. The men's and women's sides were both eliminated in the group stage of the Rugby League World Cup in Australia, leaving the wheelchair squad to carry English hopes into the final weekend. They did so in style, and centre Mason Billington summed up the feeling afterwards, saying he was unbelievably proud and that he had never in his wildest dreams imagined such a moment.

Based on the results in Wollongong, England will top the official world rankings when they are published after the last international match of 2026, followed by France, Australia, Ireland, Wales, Scotland, New Zealand and the United States.

Australia finished third after overpowering Ireland 70-24 in the earlier play-off, with Daniel Anstey scoring a hat-trick and captain Bayley McKenna finishing with 26 points.

For England, though, the night belonged to Coyd, Brown, Hawkins and their teammates. They arrived in Wollongong as champions and leave as champions, the first team in the history of the wheelchair game to win three world titles, and with a place in the sport's history secured.