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17 Nov 2022

Wheelchair Rugby League World Cup Final Preview

Wheelchair Rugby League World Cup Final Preview

England Wheelchair will be looking to win the Wheelchair Rugby League World Cup for the second time in their history when they meet France in Friday evening’s showpiece final at Manchester Central (19:30 kick-off).

Tom Coyd’s side have enjoyed a tournament to remember; cruising to victories over Australia, Spain and Ireland in their three Group A fixtures, before racking up 125 points against Wales in last week’s Semi-Final in Sheffield.

It’s not just on the pitch where England have inspired though; London’s Copper Box Arena played host to all of England’s group fixtures, with each match attracting a world record crowd for a Wheelchair Rugby League international as England captured the imagination of the next generation of supporters.

On the pitch, catalyst Jack Brown has been the driving force behind this England side with 15 tries, whilst the likes of Joe Coyd, Rob Hawkins and Nathan Collins will all look to continue their rich vein of form in Friday’s final.

Seb Bechara could round off a perfect week after winning the Wheelchair Golden Boot at Tuesday’s International Rugby League presentation ceremony in Manchester, and what better way to do that than by helping England to their second-ever World Cup.

France, meanwhile, will provide England with their biggest test yet during this year’s tournament.

The current holders, led by coaching duo Sylvain Crismanovich and Laurent Dupuy, racked up an astonishing 350 points in the group stages, including the devastating 154-6 obliteration of Wales, and look intent on retaining their 2017 crown.

Jeremy Bourson, Mostefa Abassi and Lionel Alazard have been in prolific form during this year’s Rugby League World Cup, with the former notching five tries during France’s 84-40 Semi-Final win versus Australia.

If England are to win the World Cup, stopping Bourson and Co from showing their quality in Friday’s game will be key.

Legendary venue Manchester Central will house Friday’s meeting between the sides, and with all available tickets now sold out, we could be in store for a real classic.

England Wheelchair Squad: Tom Halliwell, Seb Bechara, Wayne Boardman, Jack Brown, Nathan Collins, Joe Coyd, Rob Hawkins, Lewis King, Adam Rigby, Declan Roberts, James Simpson.

Coverage for the 2021 Wheelchair Rugby League World Cup Final gets underway at 19:00 on BBC Two and BBC iPlayer.