2025 England wheelchair rugby league tour of Australia

Last updated
2025 England wheelchair rugby league tour
Date19 October 2025 [1] – 2 November 2025
Summary
PWDL
Total
4000
Test match
2000
Opponent
PWDL
Flag of New South Wales.svg New South Wales
1 0 0 0
Flag of Queensland.svg Queensland
1 0 0 0
Flag of Australia (converted).svg  Australia
2 0 0 0
Tour chronology
Previous tour 2019
Next tour

The 2025 England wheelchair rugby league tour of Australia will be a wheelchair rugby league tour of Australia by the England national wheelchair rugby league team. The tour was announced in December 2024 by the International Rugby League, and will see four matches played including a wheelchair rugby league Ashes series contested by the two nations. [2] [3]

Contents

England are the defending champions after winning the inaugural Wheelchair Ashes 2–0 in 2019, in addition to beating the North Queensland, Queensland, and New South Wales representative teams, going the whole tour undefeated. [4]

Background

England squad selection process

Wheelchair festival and intra-squad tri-series

In April 2025, the RFL hosted a wheelchair rugby league festival in Nottingham to scout potential new players for the tour. [5] The following month, 24 players made up of invitees from the festival and England regulars contested an intra-squad tri-series tournament in York. [6]

National Performance Squad selection and Future of England game

Following the tri-series tournament, a national performance squad and a "Future of England" squad were selected for training camps on 28 June at St George's Park and on 15 June at the University of York Sport's Centre respectively. [7] [8]

National Performance Squad: [8]

Future of England Squad: [8] [9]

The Future of England camp involved an intra-squad friendly and saw Billington, Boardman, Domingos, Edwards, Haynes, Holmes, Norfolk, O'Neill, and Owen were advanced to the national performance squad for a second training session and a behind closed doors trial in York on 13 July. [10] [11] [12]

The touring squad was announced on 7 August and will have a final training session on 31 August. [1]

Australia coaching changes

Ahead of the tour, Queensland head coach Cameron Sullivan joined Brett Clark's coaching staff as an assistant coach. [13]

Squads

England

The England squad for the tour was announced on 7 August. [1] [14] Captaincy was announced on 31 August. [15] Squad numbers were confirmed on 19 October, the day the squad flew to Australia. [16]

No.PlayerClub
1 Nathan Collins Rhinoscolours.svg Leeds Rhinos
2Mason Billington Londonroosterscolours.png London Roosters
3Joe Coyd Londonroosterscolours.png London Roosters
4 Lewis King (C) Londonroosterscolours.png London Roosters
5 Rob Hawkins Faxcolours.svg Halifax Panthers
6 Wayne Boardman Faxcolours.svg Halifax Panthers
7 Luis Domingos Castleford colours.svg Castleford Tigers
8 Jack Brown (VC) Faxcolours.svg Halifax Panthers
9 Seb Bechara Catalanscolours.svg Catalans Dragons
10Finlay O’Neill Faxcolours.svg Halifax Panthers

Australia

The Australia squad was named on 17 September. Daniel Anstey is the only player who was not in the Australian squad at the 2021 Wheelchair Rugby League World Cup. [17]

PlayerClub
Bayley McKenna Queensland colours.svg Queensland
Zac Schumacher Queensland colours.svg Queensland
Diab Karim New South Wales colours.svg New South Wales
Peter Arbuckle Queensland colours.svg Queensland
Daniel Anstey Queensland colours.svg Queensland
Cory Cannane New South Wales colours.svg New South Wales
Adam Tannock Queensland colours.svg Queensland
Brad Grove New South Wales colours.svg New South Wales
Reserves
Dylan Gawthorne Queensland colours.svg Queensland
Liam Luff New South Wales colours.svg New South Wales

Fixtures

Fixtures for the tour were confirmed on 18 May 2025. [18] [19] [20] [21]

24 October 2025
New South Wales Flag of New South Wales.svg v Flag of England.svg England

See also

Notes

  1. Tom Halliwell, a regular member of the England squad, was injured for the tri-series tournament

References

  1. 1 2 3 "New faces for England Wheelchair in selection for Australia tour". www.rugby-league.com.
  2. "England to tour Australia for wheelchair series". International Rugby League. 19 December 2024.
  3. "Wheelchair Rugby League to Tour Australia for Four-Test Series in October 2025". National Rugby League. 19 December 2024.
  4. "England Wheelchair win Ashes series against Australia". Asia Pacific Rugby League. 24 October 2019. Archived from the original on 26 October 2019. Retrieved 8 March 2024.
  5. "From Nottingham to Australia – England Wheelchair host Invitational Festival to spread the net ahead of 2026 World Cup". Rugby Football League. 16 April 2025. Retrieved 18 May 2025.
  6. "Batley and Castleford players selected for England Wheelchair Tri-Series in York". Rugby Football League. 6 May 2025. Retrieved 18 May 2025.
  7. "Coyd pays tribute to retiring Rigby". Rugby Football League. 15 May 2025. Retrieved 18 May 2025.
  8. 1 2 3 "Coyd selects first eight players for England Wheelchair NPS". Rugby Football League. 20 May 2025. Retrieved 20 May 2025.
  9. "A weekend of Wheelchair action!". www.rugby-league.com.
  10. "Tom Coyd Names 17-strong National Performance Squad for 2025". www.rugby-league.com.
  11. "England wheelchair rugby league squad: Tom Coyd calls up Luis Domingos". BBC Sport. June 20, 2025.
  12. "Three uncapped players in England wheelchair performance squad – Total Rugby League".
  13. "Wheelaroos coaches confirmed ahead of Ashes and World Cup campaigns". National Rugby League. July 24, 2025.
  14. "England Wheelchair squad named for Ashes tour". National Rugby League. August 8, 2025.
  15. "Wheelchair rugby league Ashes: Lewis King to captain England for Australia tour". BBC Sport. August 31, 2025.
  16. "England Wheelchair set off to Australia with squad numbers confirmed". www.rugby-league.com.
  17. "Australian Wheelaroos squad announced for 2025 Ashes series". National Rugby League. 17 September 2025. Retrieved 16 October 2025.
  18. "Dates confirmed for Wheelchair Ashes in Australia". Rugby Football League. 18 May 2025. Retrieved 18 May 2025.
  19. "England to play NSW, Queensland ahead of Wheelchair Ashes series". National Rugby League. 19 May 2025. Retrieved 20 May 2025.
  20. "England wheelchair RL's Ashes tour set for autumn". BBC Sport. 18 May 2025. Retrieved 18 May 2025.
  21. "Wheelchair rugby league Ashes dates confirmed as England begin World Cup preparations". LoveRugbyLeague. 18 May 2025. Retrieved 18 May 2025.