England thrash Wales to begin World Cup defence
Rob Hawkins says England "were not playing to our standards" despite beginning their Wheelchair World Cup title defence with a commanding 98-18 win over Wales.
Key points
- England beat Wales 98-18 in Wollongong to open their Wheelchair Rugby League World Cup defence.
- Rob Hawkins scored 11 tries and four conversions for 52 individual points.
- Ireland set an international points record by beating the United States 110-10.
England began their Wheelchair Rugby League World Cup title defence with a 98-18 win over Wales in Wollongong, scoring 18 tries to Wales' three.
Rob Hawkins scored 11 tries and four conversions for a personal tally of 52 points. Nathan Collins added four tries and nine conversions from 11 attempts, with Joe Coyd, Jack Brown and Mason Billington also scoring.
Wales start strongly
Wales stayed with the world champions for the opening 20 minutes, with tries from Stuart Williams and Sid Ramsey reducing the gap to 18-12.
England then scored 28 unanswered points to lead 46-12 at half-time and added 10 more tries after the break. Ramsey scored his second try for Wales in the 71st minute.
We definitely felt like we were not playing to our standards, giving away silly errors and giving away points.
— Rob Hawkins
Hawkins wants improvement
Hawkins said the performance was a decent start but not England's best, citing errors and points conceded. He described the match as a "stepping stone" towards peaking at the right time.
In Group A's other match, Ireland beat the United States 110-10, surpassing their previous international points record of 92. Joseph Calcott scored seven tries and Cian Horgan six.
England face the United States on 3 November at 07:30 GMT, with Ireland playing Wales at 05:00 the same day.
