Hull KR and Salford Red Devils make Wheelchair Rugby League bow ahead of Super League season start

With the start of the 2023 Betfred Wheelchair Super League just one week away, the famous names of Hull Kingston Rovers and Salford Red Devils featured for the first time in Wheelchair Rugby League when the University of Central Lancashire in Preston hosted the traditional pre-season 4s competition on Sunday (12 March). 

The Robins and the Red Devils are in the early stages of their development, and appeared alongside more established Super League and Championship sides in the shortened format of the game at the Sir Tom Finney Arena.

Now the focus is on next weekend when the Betfred Wheelchair Super League gets underway next weekend with the opening fixtures of the six-team, 10-round competition taking place in Gillingham, Warrington and Wigan.  

Halifax Panthers launch their title defence at Wigan Warriors – a match that is likely to see the Panthers’ Rob Hawkins and Wayne Boardman go head-to-head with their Wheelchair World Cup-winning teammates Adam Rigby and Dec Roberts. 

Another World Cup winner, James Simpson, coaches Leeds Rhinos this year as the 2022 runners-up begin their campaign at Warrington Wolves. The Rhinos will be led by England captain Tom Halliwell, scorer of the winning try in the Wheelchair World Cup Final. 

And England Wheelchair’s strong southern contingent, including head coach Tom Coyd and his younger brother Joe, will return to action with London Roosters at home to Hull FC at Gillingham’s Medway Park. 

The new Wheelchair Super League season structure includes a Magic Weekend in Newcastle, alongside three other ‘central inclusion rounds’ in Birmingham, London and Manchester. And Sky Sports have already confirmed that they will cover the Betfred Wheelchair Super League Grand Final for the third consecutive year – with the date and venue to be confirmed in the coming weeks.

Martin Coyd OBE, the General Manager of England Wheelchair Rugby League, says: “The popularity of Wheelchair Rugby League has rocketed since England’s win in the World Cup and this upcoming season is a brilliant opportunity to demonstrate how fantastic the sport is to all of our new fans.

“Last year we welcomed three new teams into the competition, and I’m pleased to see that they will be returning. After last season’s exhilarating Grand Final showdown between Halifax Panthers and Leeds Rhinos, I’m sure that we have another exciting year ahead of us.”

Central inclusion rounds are a new addition to the Betfred Wheelchair Super League calendar. The fixtures will be used to bring Wheelchair, PDRL, and LDRL teams under one roof to celebrate the diversity of Rugby League which has been boosted by the impact of CreatedBy funding secured by the RFL and RLWC2021.

RFL Social and Inclusion Manager, Chris Godfrey, explains: “CreatedBy funding has provided Clubs and Foundations with vital resources so that they can continue to deliver inclusive Rugby League activities in their wider communities and the central inclusion rounds will be a great way to celebrate this.

“We have specifically chosen Birmingham, Manchester, London and Newcastle as our host cities because we believe they’re regions where our inclusive Rugby League offers can thrive, and we’re really looking forward to our first event which will be held in Birmingham in April.”

Also getting underway this weekend is the Betfred Wheelchair Championship, with Saturday’s games featuring Mersey Storm and Rochdale Hornets, and Sheffield Eagles and Bradford Bulls, with North Wales Crusaders and Wigan Warriors A following 24 hours later. 

A full list of Wheelchair Rugby League fixtures is available via the RFL website.