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World Cup triumph would be only half the story for England’s wheelchair rugby league squad

England win the Wheelchair Rugby League World Cup for a record third time - beating France 50-38 in the final in Wollongong, Australia.

✦ Extractive summary — built from the sources' own reporting•From 3 sources•1 min read•Updated November 13, 2026, 11:10 AM UTC
Key points
  • England defeated the French by only four points in Manchester four years ago in front of 5,000 fans and Tom Coyd’s side were victorious once again, this time on Australian soil.
  • The captain of England’s rugby league wheelchair team, Lewis King, remembers what things used to be like as a wheelchair athlete.
  • The two best sides in the wheelchair discipline were perhaps always destined to meet in the final given the superiority they possess over the other nations.

England prevail 50-38 over France in Wollongong final Joe Coyd scores four tries to set England up for glory England successfully completed their defence of the wheelchair Rugby League World Cup after edging old foes France in a thrilling final in Wollongong.

Additional details
  • England go into Friday’s final against France hopeful of retaining their title – and inspiring more to take up their fast-growing, compelling sport Sport in Britain is so often judged on various key metrics.
  • His life changed in 2009 when, aged 24, he was left partially paralysed after a blood clot on his spine that required an emergency operation.
  • Aaron Bower’s full report to follow Continue reading...
  • Attendances, TV viewing figures, revenue and, arguably the most important one of all, trophies.

How this summary was made: extractive summary — built from the sources' own reporting. It is drawn only from the reporting of the sources listed below — read the originals for full detail. How we summarize →

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Every article behind this summary — 4 articles from 3 outlets

BBC SportNovember 13, 2026, 11:10 AM UTC → The Guardian SportNovember 13, 2026, 10:39 AM UTC → Sky SportsNovember 13, 2026, 8:53 AM UTC → The Guardian SportNovember 12, 2026, 11:58 AM UTC →

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