2025 England wheelchair rugby league tour of Australia
| 2025 England wheelchair rugby league tour | |||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Date | 19 October 2025[1] – 2 November 2025 | ||||
| Coach(es) | Tom Coyd | ||||
| Tour captain(s) | Lewis King | ||||
| Top point scorer(s) | Nathan Collins (26) | ||||
| Top try scorer(s) | Rob Hawkins (5) | ||||
| Summary |
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| Total |
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| Test match |
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| Opponent |
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| New South Wales |
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| Queensland |
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| Australia |
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| Tour chronology | |||||
| Previous tour | 2019 | ||||
| Next tour | – | ||||
The 2025 England wheelchair rugby league tour of Australia was a wheelchair rugby league tour of Australia by the England national wheelchair rugby league team. The tour was announced in December 2024 by the International Rugby League, and saw four matches played including a two-game wheelchair rugby league Ashes series contested by the two nations.[2][3]
England are the defending champions after winning the inaugural Wheelchair Ashes 2–0 in 2019, in addition to beating the North Queensland, Queensland, and New South Wales representative teams, going the whole tour undefeated.[4]
The NRL used the two tests to start and end a four-day festival of wheelchair rugby league which as well as the test matches included the inaugural NRL Wheelchair Championship.[5][6]
The Ashes were won by England who repeated their feat of 2019, by winning both games against Australia as well as defeating New South Wales and Queensland.[7]
Background
England squad selection process
Wheelchair festival and intra-squad tri-series
In April 2025, the RFL hosted a wheelchair rugby league festival in Nottingham to scout potential new players for the tour.[8] The following month, 24 players made up of invitees from the festival and England regulars contested an intra-squad tri-series tournament in York.[9]
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National Performance Squad selection and Future of England game
Following the tri-series tournament, a national performance squad and a "Future of England" squad were selected for training camps on 28 June at St George's Park and on 15 June at the University of York Sport's Centre respectively.[10][11]
National Performance Squad:[11]
- Seb Bechara (Catalans Dragons)
- Jack Brown (Halifax Panthers)
- Josh Butler (Leeds Rhinos)
- Nathan Collins (Leeds Rhinos)
- Joe Coyd (London Roosters)
- Tom Halliwell (Leeds Rhinos)
- Rob Hawkins (Halifax Panthers)
- Lewis King (London Roosters)
Future of England Squad:[11][12]
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The Future of England camp involved an intra-squad friendly and saw Billington, Boardman, Domingos, Edwards, Haynes, Holmes, Norfolk, O'Neill, and Owen were advanced to the national performance squad for a second training session and a behind closed doors trial in York on 13 July.[13][14][15]
The touring squad was announced on 7 August and will have a final training session on 31 August.[1]
Australia coaching changes
Ahead of the tour, Queensland head coach Cameron Sullivan joined Brett Clark's coaching staff as an assistant coach.[16]
Squads
England
The England squad for the tour was announced on 7 August.[1][17] Captaincy was announced on 31 August.[18] Squad numbers were confirmed on 19 October, the day the squad flew to Australia.[19]
| No. | Player | Club |
|---|---|---|
| 1 | Nathan Collins | Leeds Rhinos |
| 2 | Mason Billington | London Roosters |
| 3 | Joe Coyd | London Roosters |
| 4 | Lewis King (C) | London Roosters |
| 5 | Rob Hawkins | Halifax Panthers |
| 6 | Wayne Boardman | Halifax Panthers |
| 7 | Luis Domingos | Castleford Tigers |
| 8 | Jack Brown (VC) | Halifax Panthers |
| 9 | Seb Bechara | Catalans Dragons |
| 10 | Finlay O’Neill | Halifax Panthers |
Australia
The Australia squad was named on 17 September. Daniel Anstey is the only player who was not in the Australian squad at the 2021 Wheelchair Rugby League World Cup.[20]
| Player | Club | State |
|---|---|---|
| Bayley McKenna | Brothers Townsville | Queensland |
| Zac Schumacher | Brothers Townsville | Queensland |
| Diab Karim | Parramatta Eels | New South Wales |
| Peter Arbuckle | Gold Coast Titans | Queensland |
| Daniel Anstey | Gold Coast Titans | Queensland |
| Cory Cannane | St George Illawarra Dragons | New South Wales |
| Adam Tannock | Townsville Marlins | Queensland |
| Brad Grove | Parramatta Eels | New South Wales |
| Reserves | ||
| Dylan Gawthorne | South East Queensland Stingrays | Queensland |
| Liam Luff | Parramatta Eels | New South Wales |
Fixtures
Fixtures for the tour were confirmed on 18 May 2025.[21][22][23][24]
England began their tour with a dominant win over New South Wales,[25] before a tightly contest match against Queensland three days later.[26]
In the first of the Ashes tests, England opened strongly scoring 16 points in the first eight minutes. Australia quickly got back into the game bringing the score to 28 points to 26 in favour of the hosts with a quarter of the match to go. The final 23 minutes however saw five unanswered tries from England resulting in a convincing win for the tourists.[27]
In the second a final test, Australia saw a controlling first half performance scoring inside two minutes. An initial England response of two tries was silenced by a further four from Australia with England only managing one more in the half. Australia led 30 point to 18 at half time. However like the first test, Australai were unable to carry their momentum. England scored five tries in 25 minutes of the second half with Australian managing just the two to bring the scores level. A final try from England with two minutes to go won the game and the Ashes for the tourists.[28]
| New South Wales | 10–86 | England |
|---|---|---|
| Tries: Cannane, Engles Goals: Karim (1/2) |
1st: 10–34 2nd: 0–52 Report |
Tries: Brown (3), King, Boardman, Domingos, Collins, Hawkins (5), Bechara (2), Coyd Goals: Boardman (5/6), Collins (8/9) |
| New South Wales | Position | England | ||
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Name | Number | Number | Name | |
| Cory Cannane | 1 | Starter |
1 | Mason Billington |
| Liam Luff | 2 | Starter |
2 | Jack Brown |
| Brad Grove (c) | 3 | Starter |
3 | Wayne Boardman |
| Diab Karim | 4 | Starter |
4 | Lewis King (c) |
| Toby Popple | 5 | Starter |
5 | Luis Domingos |
| Richard Engles | 6 | Interchange |
6 | Finlay O’Neill |
| Joey Abboud | 7 | Interchange |
7 | Joe Coyd |
| Brad Burns | 8 | Interchange |
8 | Nathan Collins |
| Stephan Rochecouste | 9 | Interchange |
9 | Seb Bechara |
| Chris O'Brien | 10 | Interchange |
10 | Rob Hawkins |
| Neil Stanley | Coach |
Tom Coyd | ||
| Queensland | 60–72 | England |
|---|---|---|
| Tries: Arbuckle, Anstey (2), Schumaker (5), Tannock (2) Goals: Kruger (1/1), McKenna (9/9) |
1st: 24–42 2nd: 36–30 Report |
Tries: Collins (2), Hawkins, Coyd (3), King, Billington (2), Domingos (2), Bechara, O'Neill Goals: Collins (7/8), Hawkins (1/1), Coyd (1/2), Boardman (1/1), O'Neill (0/1) |
| Queensland | Position | England | ||
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Name | Number | Number | Name | |
| Pete Arbuckle | 1 | Starter |
1 | Nathan Collins |
| Dan Anstey | 2 | Starter |
2 | Rob Hawkins |
| Jack Kruger | 3 | Starter |
3 | Joe Coyd |
| Dylan Gawthorne | 4 | Starter |
4 | Lewis King |
| Brett Bazley | 5 | Starter |
5 | Mason Billington |
| Bayley McKenna | 6 | Interchange |
6 | Wayne Boardman |
| Zac Schumacher | 7 | Interchange |
7 | Luis Domingos |
| Adam Tannock | 8 | Interchange |
8 | Jack Brown |
| John Clarke | 9 | Interchange |
9 | Seb Bechara |
Interchange |
10 | Rob Hawkins | ||
| Jeff Wright | Coach |
Tom Coyd | ||
| Australia | 28–56 | England |
|---|---|---|
| Tries: Schumacher (2), Anstey (2), Cannane Goals: Schumacher (4/5) |
1st: 12–22 2nd: 16–34 Report |
Tries: Collins (2), Coyd, Hawkins (3), King, Billington, O'Neill, Bechara Goals: Collins (4/7), Hawkins (4/4) |
Gold Coast Sports and Leisure Centre, Gold Coast
Referees: Rebecca Whiteley (England), Steve Hewson (Australia) |
| Australia | Position | England | ||
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Name | Number | Number | Name | |
| Dan Anstey | 1 | Starter |
1 | Nathan Collins |
| Cory Cannane | 2 | Starter |
2 | Rob Hawkins |
| Zac Schumacher | 3 | Starter |
3 | Joe Coyd |
| Adam Tannock | 4 | Starter |
4 | Lewis King |
| Diab Karim | 5 | Starter |
5 | Mason Billington |
| Peter Arbuckle | 6 | Interchange |
6 | Jack Brown |
| Brad Grove | 7 | Interchange |
7 | Seb Bechara |
| Dylan Gawthorne | 8 | Interchange |
8 | Finley O'Neill |
| Brett Clark | Coach |
Tom Coyd | ||
| Australia | 42–48 | England |
|---|---|---|
| Tries: McKenna (2), Schumacher, Karim, Anstey (2), Tannock Goals: McKenna (7/7) |
1st: 30–18 2nd: 12–30 Report |
Tries: Hawkins (2), King (3), O'Neill, Brown (2) Goals: Collins (5/5), Hawkins (1/4) |
Gold Coast Sports and Leisure Centre, Gold Coast
Referees: Rebecca Whiteley (England), Anthony Bishop (Australia) |
| Australia | Position | England | ||
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Name | Number | Number | Name | |
| Bayley McKenna | 1 | Starter |
1 | Nathan Collins |
| Zac Schumacher | 2 | Starter |
2 | Rob Hawkins |
| Diab Karim | 3 | Starter |
3 | Joe Coyd |
| Dan Anstey | 4 | Starter |
4 | Lewis King |
| Adam Tannock | 5 | Starter |
5 | Finley O'Neill |
| Cory Cannane | 6 | Interchange |
6 | Mason Billington |
| Brad Grove | 7 | Interchange |
7 | Luis Domingos |
| Peter Arbuckle | 8 | Interchange |
8 | Jack Brown |
Interchange |
||||
| Brett Clark | Coach |
Tom Coyd | ||
Broadcasting
Both Ashes games were streamed live by the NRL.[29]
See also
Notes
- ^ Tom Halliwell, a regular member of the England squad, was injured for the tri-series tournament
References
- ^ a b c "New faces for England Wheelchair in selection for Australia tour". www.rugby-league.com.
- ^ "England to tour Australia for wheelchair series". International Rugby League. 19 December 2024.
- ^ "Wheelchair Rugby League to Tour Australia for Four-Test Series in October 2025". National Rugby League. 19 December 2024.
- ^ "England Wheelchair win Ashes series against Australia". Asia Pacific Rugby League. 24 October 2019. Archived from the original on 26 October 2019. Retrieved 8 March 2024.
- ^ "LCA NRL Wheelchair Championships". Queensland.com. Retrieved 28 October 2025.
- ^ "Inaugural Leagues Clubs Australia NRL Wheelchair Championships to ignite the Gold Coast". NRL. 8 September 2025. Retrieved 28 October 2025.
- ^ "England joy as Coyd clinches a thriller". Rugby Leaguer & League Express. No. 3505. 3 November 2025. p. 17.
- ^ "From Nottingham to Australia – England Wheelchair host Invitational Festival to spread the net ahead of 2026 World Cup". Rugby Football League. 16 April 2025. Retrieved 18 May 2025.
- ^ "Batley and Castleford players selected for England Wheelchair Tri-Series in York". Rugby Football League. 6 May 2025. Retrieved 18 May 2025.
- ^ "Coyd pays tribute to retiring Rigby". Rugby Football League. 15 May 2025. Retrieved 18 May 2025.
- ^ a b c "Coyd selects first eight players for England Wheelchair NPS". Rugby Football League. 20 May 2025. Retrieved 20 May 2025.
- ^ "A weekend of Wheelchair action!". www.rugby-league.com.
- ^ "Tom Coyd Names 17-strong National Performance Squad for 2025". www.rugby-league.com.
- ^ "England wheelchair rugby league squad: Tom Coyd calls up Luis Domingos". BBC Sport. June 20, 2025.
- ^ "Three uncapped players in England wheelchair performance squad – Total Rugby League".
- ^ "Wheelaroos coaches confirmed ahead of Ashes and World Cup campaigns". National Rugby League. July 24, 2025.
- ^ "England Wheelchair squad named for Ashes tour". National Rugby League. August 8, 2025.
- ^ "Wheelchair rugby league Ashes: Lewis King to captain England for Australia tour". BBC Sport. August 31, 2025.
- ^ "England Wheelchair set off to Australia with squad numbers confirmed". www.rugby-league.com.
- ^ "Australian Wheelaroos squad announced for 2025 Ashes series". National Rugby League. 17 September 2025. Retrieved 16 October 2025.
- ^ "Dates confirmed for Wheelchair Ashes in Australia". Rugby Football League. 18 May 2025. Retrieved 18 May 2025.
- ^ "England to play NSW, Queensland ahead of Wheelchair Ashes series". National Rugby League. 19 May 2025. Retrieved 20 May 2025.
- ^ "England wheelchair RL's Ashes tour set for autumn". BBC Sport. 18 May 2025. Retrieved 18 May 2025.
- ^ "Wheelchair rugby league Ashes dates confirmed as England begin World Cup preparations". LoveRugbyLeague. 18 May 2025. Retrieved 18 May 2025.
- ^ "Hawkins scores five as England beat New South Wales". BBC Sport. 24 October 2025. Retrieved 26 October 2025.
- ^ "Collins stars as England edge past Queensland". BBC Sport. 27 October 2025. Retrieved 27 October 2025.
- ^ "England fight back to beat Australia in opening Test". BBC Sport. 30 October 2025. Retrieved 30 October 2025.
- ^ "England win thriller to clinch Wheelchair Ashes". BBC Sport. 2 November 2025. Retrieved 2 November 2025.
- ^ "Official NRL Live Video News Updates & Information". NRL. Retrieved 6 November 2025.