England thrash USA 134-0 to book Wheelchair Rugby League World Cup semi-final
England have reached the semi-finals of the Wheelchair Rugby League World Cup after a 134-0 win over USA. BBC Sport reports that the game was played at the Wollongong Entertainment Arena, and that England scored 23 tries.
A try is worth scoring by grounding the ball over the opponents' line, and it is the main way to score in rugby league. England spread them around. Eight different players crossed the line, and two of them managed four each. Chris Haynes and captain Mason Billington both scored four tries.
The biggest individual headline belonged to Luis Domingos. He scored four tries on his first appearance at the tournament. Domingos is a former Portugal basketball international who now plays for Sheffield Eagles and England. Finlay O'Neill was named player of the match, with 38 points from two tries and 15 conversions. A conversion is a kick at goal taken after a try.
Billington rated England's performance "at least a seven" out of 10. He said the team had focused on "playing the way we want to play", and that the players had "stuck to their principles". Those words came after a tougher start. England opened the tournament with a 98-18 win over Wales, and Rob Hawkins rated that performance five out of 10.
England are the defending champions, so the stakes are high for them. They are through to the last four, where they will face either France or Australia next week. France have already booked their place after a 120-10 win over New Zealand. They are two-time champions and lost to England in the 2022 final.
Australia, the hosts, also reached the semi-finals with a 104-24 win over Scotland. They play France on Friday, and that game will decide the winner of the pool.
England still have one group match left. They meet Ireland on Friday in Wollongong, with the game starting at 06:00 GMT. Ireland also qualified after beating Wales 68-28. They are ranked third in the world in wheelchair rugby league.
USA, who were drawn in Pool A alongside England, Wales and Ireland, are out of the semi-final places. Scotland, New Zealand, Wales and USA will now play a ranking competition to decide fifth to eighth place.
For anyone new to the sport, the picture is simple enough. Teams that win their pool move into the semi-finals, and everyone else competes for the lower places. England have already secured their spot in the last four. The next step is finding out who they face, and how they go into the last pool game against Ireland.
