England beat USA 134-0 to secure Wheelchair Rugby League World Cup semi-final place

England secured their place in the 2026 Wheelchair Rugby League World Cup semi-finals with a 134-0 victory over the USA, BBC Sport reported. The result helped complete the tournament's last-four line-up, with Ireland, France and hosts Australia also through. The remaining group fixtures will determine the semi-final pairings, rather than which teams advance to the knockout stage.

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Finlay O'Neill earned the player-of-the-match award after scoring 38 points, made up of two tries and 15 conversions. In comments carried by BBC Sport, he credited the collective performance rather than his own contribution. O'Neill said England had discussed how to improve and had made progress, while acknowledging that there were still aspects of their play to address.

The performance followed an opening 98-18 victory over Wales that had drawn a critical assessment from England player Rob Hawkins. Despite that winning margin, Hawkins had rated the team five out of 10 and said they had fallen short of their standards. Mason Billington offered a more positive verdict after the USA match, telling Premier Sports that England deserved at least seven out of 10 after sticking to the approach they had worked on during the week.

Ireland joined England in progressing from Pool A after beating Wales 68-28. The Irish side, ranked third in the world, will meet England in their final group fixture on Friday in Wollongong, with the match scheduled for 06:00 GMT. Both sides therefore go into that meeting with qualification secured, while the knockout schedule remains to be settled.

France and Australia also confirmed their semi-final places with victories in which they each passed 100 points. Two-time champions France defeated New Zealand 120-10, while Australia overcame Scotland 104-24. France, beaten by England in the 2022 final, will face the hosts on Friday in a match that will decide which team finishes top of their pool.

The four teams outside the semi-finals still have positions to play for. Scotland, New Zealand, Wales and the USA will enter a ranking competition to determine fifth through eighth place. Before that phase, Wales face the USA on Friday in their remaining Pool A match, while Scotland meet New Zealand.