England beat Wales 98-18 in Wheelchair World Cup opener
Wales were beaten 98-18 by world champions England in the opening match of the Wheelchair Rugby League World Cup in Wollongong, Australia, on Friday. Rob Hawkins scored 52 points for England.
England v Wales
- Final score
- 98-18
- Half-time
- 46-12
- Wales tries
- 3
- Hawkins points
- 52
England's scoring
Nathan Collins opened the scoring after 90 seconds and finished with four tries and nine goals from 11 attempts. Hawkins kicked four goals from seven attempts and reached 100 tries for the season. Joe Coyd, Mason Billington and Jack Brown also scored tries. England led 46-12 at half-time.
Wales' tries
Stuart Williams scored his record-extending 74th try for Wales after a goal-line drop-out. Sid Ramsey, named player of the match, scored twice, once from the restart after England's second try. Sixteen-year-old Matthew Turner converted all three.
Beating 125
At the last World Cup England scored 125 points against Wales. Wheelchair matches are normally double the score of a running match, and England have a full-time head coach. Wales also gave a debut to 16-year-old Fionn McCabe, the third-youngest player in the team's history.
Next
Wales face Ireland on Tuesday 3 November and the USA on Friday 6 November at the WIN Entertainment Centre in Wollongong. All eight nations are guaranteed five matches.