England beat Ireland 68-32 to top their group at Wheelchair Rugby League World Cup
England beat Ireland 68-32 on Friday in Wollongong, finishing top of Pool A at the Wheelchair Rugby League World Cup. A pool is a group, and England now move on to a semi-final against co-hosts Australia on Tuesday at 08:45 GMT.
It was not a straightforward afternoon for England. Ireland led 14-0 early on and went 20-4 up in the first half. England fought back to lead 22-20 at half-time, then scored 40 unanswered points after the break before Ireland crossed again.
A try is scored by grounding the ball over the opponents' line, and England scored 12 of them. Joe Coyd scored four, Rob Hawkins scored three and England captain Lewis King scored twice. Mason Billington and Jack Brown also got on the scoresheet.
King was pleased with the response but not satisfied. He said England love high-pressure games, and that finishing top of the group had been their first aim. He added that the team would not be especially happy with their performance against Ireland, because their standards are higher than that. England take that momentum into the semi-final next week.
Elsewhere in the tournament, France beat Australia 69-34 to top their group, and they will play Ireland on Tuesday at 06:15 GMT in the semi-final. Earlier, England had entered this match with a perfect record, having beaten Wales and the USA in the group stage.
Scotland also had a historic day. They beat New Zealand 62-18, their first-ever win at a Wheelchair World Cup, with Calum Davidson scoring four tries. Wales were even more emphatic against the USA, winning 92-18. John Berriman scored four tries for Wales, while Fionn McCabe and Jonathan Gill each scored a hat-trick, meaning three tries apiece.
The wheelchair version of rugby league keeps the core idea of the sport: carry the ball, make ground, and score by grounding it over the line. Players compete in wheelchairs, and the contest is as close as the scoreboard suggests. The semi-finals now set up a new set of tests, with England facing Australia and France meeting Ireland on Tuesday.
