Wheelchair rugby league Ashes: England beat New South Wales 86-10

Rob Hawkins scored five second-half tries as England’s wheelchair rugby league side began their tour of Australia with an 86-10 victory over New South Wales in Sydney.

Hawkins, the reigning international wheelchair player of the year, is seeking to complete a memorable 2025 with an Ashes series victory after helping his club Halifax Panthers win the treble of Challenge Cup, League Leaders’ Shield and Grand Final.

England scored 15 tries as head coach Tom Coyd gave all 10 of his squad half a game each – with five playing the first half, and the other five the second.

Hawkins’ Halifax club-mate Jack Brown scored three of England’s first four tries, with debutant Luis Domingos, captain Lewis King and veteran Wayne Boardman also crossing before the break. Boardman added five goals.

Finlay O’Neill, another Halifax treble winner, came on for his debut in the second half, when Leeds pivot Nathan Collins scored 20 points from a try and eight goals, while Wheels of Steel winner Joe Coyd touched down once and Seb Bechara twice.

“Obviously we’ve been battling jetlag and fatigue a little bit this week after the flight, but that was why the game against New South Wales was so important,” Tom Coyd said.

“It’s been almost a year since we last played as an England team, with the Test against France last November, so we needed to get out on the pitch together.

“It was great to see Finlay O’Neill and Luis Domingos in action in England jerseys for the first time, and I think we’ll wake up on Saturday morning really knowing that we’ve arrived in Australia.”

England face Queensland on the Sunshine Coast next Monday before two Tests against Australia on 30 October and 2 November on the Gold Coast.