Hawkins scores five tries as England beat Australia 86-18 to reach wheelchair World Cup final

England reached the Wheelchair Rugby League World Cup final with an 86-18 victory over Australia in Wollongong on Tuesday, with Rob Hawkins scoring five tries. BBC Sport reported that the defending champions crossed for 15 tries in total, securing another final against France after a comprehensive semi-final win over the tournament hosts.

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The Rugby Football League's match report described an early breakthrough from Mason Billington, who scored after five minutes from Joe Coyd's overhead pass. Billington then prevented an Australian response by pushing Dan Anstey into touch near the corner. Hawkins scored in the 11th and 14th minutes, converting both efforts, before two Coyd tries helped England establish a 30-0 lead by the 25th minute.

Diab Karim finally put Australia on the scoreboard, but England added two more tries before the interval to lead 40-6. According to the RFL, Jack Brown then scored twice early in the second half as the advantage grew to 52-6. Billington completed a hat-trick and was named player of the match, with seven tackle-breaks and 20 hit-ups accompanying his three tries.

Hawkins added five conversions to his five tries for a personal total of 30 points, BBC Sport reported. One of his scores came after he chased a long kick and grounded the ball close to the dead-ball line under pressure from Adam Tannock. Despite that contribution and the scale of the victory, Hawkins told the broadcaster he rated the performance at only six or seven out of ten, believing England still had improvements to make.

Nathan Collins, Chris Haynes and Lewis King also scored tries for England, while Collins kicked eight goals, the RFL's scoring summary confirmed. Australia's three tries came through Karim, who scored twice, and Anstey. Brown said in the RFL report that England's established structure had given them room to express individual attacking flair while continuing to support one another.

The result brings England back into a title match against the opponents they defeated 28-24 in Manchester in 2022. BBC Sport reported that the final against France will take place at Wollongong's WIN Entertainment Centre on Friday, with kick-off at 08:45 GMT.