Personal information | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
Full name | Robert Hawkins | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
Born | c. 2001–2002 Halifax, West Yorkshire England | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
Playing information | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
Medals
|
Rob Hawkins is an English wheelchair rugby league player who currently plays for Halifax Panthers in RFL Wheelchair Super League and the England national wheelchair rugby league team.
Rob Hawkins is a disabled wheelchair rugby league player. He suffers with chronic fatigue syndrome which he had diagnosed in 2014, [1] after being bedridden for 18 months. [2] [3]
Rob Hawkins began playing wheelchair rugby league in 2014 following an improvement in his chronic fatigue syndrome. [2]
In 2020, Rob Hawkins won Young Player of the Year for 2019 at the Wheelchair Rugby League Awards, [4] [5] after helping Halifax the inaugural 2019 Super League. [6] He repeated this feat in February 2023, winning Player of the Year for the 2022 season, [4] [5] In which he won the 2022 Super League with Halifax, and doing so winning man of the match in the Grand Final. [7] [8] [9] At the 2024 Man of Steel Awards, Hawkins was named as the Wheelchair Super League Young Player of the Year. [10]
Rob Hawkins made his England debut in 2019, at the tri-nations series against Wales and Scotland. [2] Following a pandemic enforced break in the sport, Hawkins was chosen to represent England at the 2021 Wheelchair Rugby League World Cup. [11] He received praise in England's second group game, scoring five tries in a 104–12 win over Spain which qualified England for the semi-finals. [12] England reached the final, beating France 28–24. [13] In 2024, Hawkins played in England's two match test series over France. He scored four tries in the home 66–33 victory, which also saw him win player of the match, [14] before scoring a further two in the 28–32 away defeat. [15] His international performances for the year was recognised with him being awarded the IRL Wheelchair Golden Boot, becoming the youngest player to win the award. [2] [3]
In January 2023, Hawkins gave a talk at Shelf Junior and Infant School. [16] In April of the same year, he opened the Children's Community Health Centre in Elland. [1]
Leeds Rhinos are a professional rugby league club in Leeds, West Yorkshire, England. The club play their home games at AMT Headingley Rugby Stadium and compete in the Super League, the top tier of British rugby league.
Kevin Sinfield is an English rugby union coach, currently the skills and kicking coach for the England national team. He is a former professional rugby league player for Leeds Rhinos, England and Great Britain. His usual position was loose forward, although he played stand-off and hooker on occasion.
Wheelchair rugby league is a wheelchair-based version of rugby league football, one of two recognised disability versions of the sport. It was developed in France in 2000. Unlike other wheelchair sports, people without disabilities are allowed to compete in top-level competition. The sport is also unique in the fact that men and women of any age can play against each other in top-level competition.
The IRL Golden Boot Award is an annual rugby league award, presented by the International Rugby League (IRL), awarded to the best player of the calendar year. There are categories for men's, women's, and wheelchair players.
The Rugby Football League Challenge Cup, commonly known just as the Challenge Cup is a knockout rugby league cup competition organised by the Rugby Football League, held annually since 1896, it is the world's oldest cup competition in either code of rugby. A concurrent Women's Challenge Cup and Wheelchair Challenge Cup have been held since 2012 and 2015 respectively.
Luke Gale is an English professional rugby league footballer who plays as scrum-half or stand-off for Wakefield Trinity in the RFL Championship. Gale has played for the England Knights and England at international level.
Harry Smith is an English professional rugby league footballer who plays as a scrum-half and stand-off for the Wigan Warriors in the Super League and both England and the England Knights at international level.
The England national wheelchair rugby league team represents England in wheelchair rugby league. The team have played in all four World Cup tournaments, winning both the inaugural competition in 2008 and the 2021 edition on home soil, and being runners up in both 2013 and 2017. They also won the 2015 European Rugby League Championship.
The RFL Wheelchair Super League is the highest level of wheelchair rugby league in England and Wales.
The 2024 Wheelchair Super League was the fifth season of the Rugby Football League (RFL) premier wheelchair rugby league competition.
The 2023 Wheelchair Super League was the fourth season of the Rugby Football League (RFL) premier wheelchair rugby league competition.
The 2022 Wheelchair Super League was the fourth season of the Rugby Football League (RFL) premier wheelchair rugby league competition.
Wigan Warriors Wheelchair Rugby League is an English wheelchair rugby league team based in Wigan, Greater Manchester and is the official wheelchair rugby league team of the Wigan Warriors club. The team competes in the RFL Wheelchair Super League. The club has played its home games at the Robin Park Arena since its formation in 2018 when it was under the name "Wigan and District Wheelchair RL team" until being taken over by Wigan Warriors in 2022.
The Catalans Dragons Wheelchair Rugby League Football Club are a French wheelchair rugby league club based in Perpignan, Pyrénées-Orientales. The club competes in the Elite 1 Championship, the top tier of the French rugby league system.
The Halifax Panthers Wheelchair Rugby League Football Club are an English wheelchair rugby league club based in Halifax, West Yorkshire. The club competes in the RFL Wheelchair Super League, the top tier of the British rugby league system. The club was formed in 2005.
Jack Brown is an English wheelchair rugby league player born in Halifax, West Yorkshire. He currently plays for North Queensland Cowboys in Australia's Wheelchair NRL and the England national wheelchair rugby league team.
Seb Bechara is an English wheelchair rugby league player who currently plays for Catalans Dragons in Elite One Championship and the England national wheelchair rugby league team. He is captain of both club and country.
Jérémy Bourson is a French wheelchair rugby league player who currently plays for Catalans Dragons in Elite One Championship and the France national wheelchair rugby league team.
Nathan Collins is an English wheelchair rugby league player who currently plays for Leeds Rhinos in RFL Wheelchair Super League and the England national wheelchair rugby league team.
James Simpson is an English former soldier of the British Army and wheelchair rugby league player, and current wheelchair rugby league coach who is currently the head coach of Leeds Rhinos in the RFL Wheelchair Super League whom he spend his entire playing career. He also had an extensive international career representing the England national wheelchair rugby league team.