Rob Hawkins Scored 11 Tries and 52 Points as England Beat Wales 98-18 at the Wheelchair World Cup
England began the defence of their Wheelchair Rugby League World Cup title with a 98-18 win over Wales in Wollongong on Friday. Rob Hawkins scored 11 tries and kicked four goals, 52 points on his own, the BBC reported.
Hawkins was not satisfied. “We definitely felt like we were not playing to our standards, giving away silly errors and giving away points,” he said.
| Team | Tries | Goals | Points |
|---|---|---|---|
| England: Rob Hawkins 11, Nathan Collins 4, Joe Coyd, Jack Brown, Mason Billington | 18 | 13 | 98 |
| Wales: Sid Ramsey 2, Stuart Williams | 3 | 3 | 18 |
Wales kept up for 20 minutes
Nathan Collins scored after 90 seconds, wrl.wales reported. Wales then got a try of their own when Stuart Williams scored his 74th for his country, extending his own record. Sid Ramsey added another, and Wales were 18-12 down after about 20 minutes.
England then scored 28 unanswered points to lead 46-12 at half-time, and ten more tries came after the break. Hawkins reached his 100th try of the season during the first half, according to wrl.wales.
Collins, of Leeds Rhinos, finished with four tries and nine goals from 11 attempts, 34 points. Joe Coyd, Jack Brown and Mason Billington also scored. Billington had a head injury assessment after a collision as he scored England’s 14th try, rugby-league.com reported.
“A stepping stone”
“Today’s performance was a decent start for the team,” Hawkins told the BBC. “We’re building so we can peak at the right time. Today was a stepping stone really.”
He gave the credit to the team. “Those tries wouldn’t have happened if I didn’t have the boys around me,” he told rugby-league.com.
Wales, and two 16-year-olds
Ramsey scored a second try in the 71st minute, and Matthew Turner, 16, converted all three Welsh tries. Fionn McCabe, who turned 16 this month, made his debut. At the last World Cup England scored 125 points against Wales, wrl.wales noted.
In the other game in the group, Ireland beat the USA 110-10, their highest score in an international. Joseph Calcott scored seven tries and Cian Horgan six.
What comes next
England play the USA at 7.30am UK time on Tuesday 3 November, and Ireland play Wales at 5am the same morning. Every wheelchair match is at the WIN Entertainment Centre, and every kick-off is on our World Cup UK times page. For channels, see how to watch the World Cup.
