Hawkins scores 11 tries as England open wheelchair title defence with Wales win

England began their Wheelchair Rugby League World Cup title defence with a 98-18 victory over Wales in Wollongong, led by 11 tries from Rob Hawkins. BBC Sport reported that the defending champions scored 18 tries, but Hawkins said the performance still fell short of the standards the team wanted to reach during the tournament.

Watch the highlights:

Hawkins added four conversions to finish with 52 points, more than half of England's total. Nathan Collins supplied another four tries and converted nine of his 11 attempts. Joe Coyd, Jack Brown and Mason Billington completed England's list of try-scorers, while Wales crossed three times in a match that became increasingly one-sided after a competitive opening spell.

Wales stayed close through the first 20 minutes. Tries from Stuart Williams and Sid Ramsey reduced England's advantage to 18-12 before the holders took control with 28 points without reply. That sequence left England leading 46-12 at the interval. They added 10 tries after the break, with Ramsey scoring his second try for Wales in the 71st minute.

Despite the margin, Hawkins pointed to avoidable mistakes and the points England had conceded. In comments reported by BBC Sport, he described the display as a reasonable beginning rather than the team's best performance, saying the aim was to build towards their strongest form at the right stage. Hawkins had also helped Halifax Panthers win the Wheelchair Super League Grand Final and received this year's Wheels of Steel award.

Ireland produced another emphatic Group A result, beating the United States 110-10 to set a new national scoring record. Joseph Calcott scored seven tries and Cian Horgan six in Ireland's 20-try performance. The total surpassed the 92 points Ireland scored against Scotland in the previous year's Celtic Cup, according to BBC Sport's match reporting.

England entered this fifth edition of the tournament having reached every previous final and won the title in 2008 and 2022. Their most recent triumph came through a 28-24 victory over France in Manchester. The win against Wales gives that latest title defence a successful start, even as Hawkins's assessment underlines the improvement England are seeking beyond the opening result.