Hawkins scores 11 tries as England open Wheelchair World Cup defence with 98–18 win

England began their Wheelchair World Cup title defence with a 98–18 victory over Wales in Wollongong, with Rob Hawkins scoring 11 tries, BBC Sport reported. The two-time champions finished with 18 tries against Wales' three, although Hawkins said the team's performance still fell short of the standards they wanted to reach.

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Hawkins added four conversions to his tries for a personal contribution of 52 points, more than half England's total. Nathan Collins supplied another four tries and converted nine of his 11 attempts. Joe Coyd, Jack Brown and Mason Billington also crossed, completing England's scoring spread across five players in the opening match of their title defence.

Wales were competitive during the first 20 minutes. Tries from Stuart Williams and Sid Ramsey brought them within six points at 18–12, keeping the contest close before England took control. From there, the holders scored 28 points without reply to reach the interval with a 46–12 advantage, turning a narrow lead into a substantial cushion.

England continued to extend that advantage after the break, adding 10 more tries in the second half. Wales managed one further score, with Ramsey claiming his second try of the match in the 71st minute. The final margin was 80 points, following a first half in which Wales had initially stayed in touch.

Despite the scoreline, Hawkins' assessment focused on improvement. In comments reported by the BBC, he described the opening performance as a reasonable start but pointed to avoidable errors and the points England had conceded. He said the team were building towards their best form at the right stage of the competition.

The other Group A result brought an even larger total as Ireland defeated the United States 110–10. Ireland scored 20 tries, including seven from Joseph Calcott and six from Cian Horgan. Their tally set a new national international points record, exceeding the 92 they scored against Scotland in the previous year's Celtic Cup.

Both teams return to action on 3 November. Ireland face Wales at 05:00 GMT, before England play the United States at 07:30 GMT.