England Wheelchair scored a record points total against Australia, routing their rivals 86-18 to reach their fifth successive Rugby League World Cup final. The game was all but over at half-time as England held a 40-6 lead, with Rob Hawkins leading the charge with a stunning 30-point performance in his side's dominant victory. The win means the defending World Cup champions will face France in the final in Wollongong on Friday, with a chance to claim their third World Cup title.
Mason Billington - who picked up Player of the Match - opened the scoring in just the third minute of the contest with a try, before Hawkins added two of his own and Joe Coyd got in on the act to put England in firm control with a 30-0 lead after just 24 minutes. Diab Karim eventually got the host nation on the scoresheet with a converted try, but their joy was short-lived after Billington went over twice to seal his hat-trick before half-time. Interchanges Jack Brown and Nathan Collins scored three tries between them in the opening 10 minutes of the second half before Hawkins struck twice more to put England out of reach.
Karim and Dan Antsey went over for consolations just after the hour mark, but tries from Chris Haynes and the captain Lewis King put the finishing touches on a sensational victory for the two-time World Champions. England Wheelchair rugby league captain Lewis King stated, "I am looking forward to Friday.".
Source: Sky Sports Champions League · Summarized by HeadlinesBriefing