Wales national wheelchair rugby league team

Last updated

Wales
Team information
Governing body Wales Rugby League
Region Europe
Head coachStephen Jones
IRL ranking 3rd
Team results
First international
World Cup
Appearances3 (first time in 2013 )
Best result

The Wales national wheelchair rugby league team represents Wales in wheelchair rugby league. They have competed at the World Cup, the European Championships and several tournaments within the British Isles, such as the Celtic Cup and Four Nations competitions.

Contents

History

In July 2012 Wales took part their first international competition, the Four Nations, a round-robin tournament between England, Ireland, Scotland and Wales. [2] [3] The tournament was held as part of preparations for the world cup taking place the following year. [4] At the 2013 World Cup Wales progressed from the group stage with wins over Australia and Ireland and defeat to England. They lost their semi-final against France and finished third by defeating Australia in the third-place play-off. [5] Wales were unsuccessful at the 2014 Four Nations and the 2015 European Championships where they lost all their matches. [6] [7] In 2016 they joined Scotland and Ireland to compete in the Celtic Cup, which had been first contested the previous year [8] but became an annual three-team round-robin from 2016. [9] Wales won the tournament in 2016 and as of 2023 have remained unbeaten in the Celtic Cup. [8] [10] At the 2017 World Cup Wales finished bottom of Group A with losses to Australia, England and France. They then lost to Italy in the group play-offs but defeated Spain to take fifth place. [11] [12] At the 2021 World Cup Wales suffered their heaviest ever defeat by losing their opening match 6–154 to France. [13] However, victories over the United States and Scotland meant Ireland progressed to the knockout phase of the tournament where they lost to England in the semi-final. [14] [15] [16] Stuart Williams was one of the ten players named in the RLWC2021 Wheelchair Team of the Tournament. [17]

Squad

Wales squad for 2021 World Cup
First team squadCoaching staff
  • Stephen Halsey – North Wales Crusaders
  • Scott Trigg-Turner – North Wales Crusaders
  • Gary Preece – Hereford Harriers
  • Mason Baker – North Wales Crusaders
  • Jodie Boyd-Ward – Leeds Rhinos
  • Andrew Higgins – Hereford Harriers
  • Stuart Williams – North Wales Crusaders
  • Lucie Roberts – North Wales Crusaders
  • Martin Lane – Hereford Harriers
  • Mark Williams – Wigan Warriors
  • Harry Jones – North Wales Crusaders
  • Alan Caron – Hereford Harriers

Head coach

  • Stephen Jones


Legend:
  • (c) Captain(s)
  • (vc) Vice-captain(s)

Updated: 3 October 2022
Source(s): [18]

Competitive record

World Cup

World Cup Record
YearFinish
Flag of Australia (converted).svg 2008 Did not enter
Flag of England.svg 2013 3rd
Flag of France.svg 2017 5th
Flag of England.svg 2021 Semi-final

Celtic Cup

Celtic Cup Record [Note 1]
YearOpponentFinishRef.
Ireland Scotland
2015———
2016WW1st [19]
2017WW1st [11]
2018WW1st [20]
2019WW1st [21]
2020Cancelled due to the COVID-19 pandemic [22]
2021WW1st [23]
2022WW1st [24]
2023DW1st [25]

Results and fixtures

DateOpponentScoreCompetitionRef.
7 July 2012Flag of Scotland.svg  Scotland 20–62012 Four Nations [26]
7 July 2012Four Provinces Flag.svg  Ireland 44–4 [27]
8 July 2012Flag of England.svg  England 0–34 [28]
3 July 2013Four Provinces Flag.svg  Ireland 104–6 2013 World Cup Group stage [5]
6 July 2013Flag of Australia (converted).svg  Australia 25–16 [5]
9 July 2013Flag of England.svg  England 6–50 [5]
11 July 2013Flag of France.svg  France 30–71 2013 World Cup Semi-final [5]
13 July 2013Flag of Australia (converted).svg  Australia 16–14 2013 World Cup 3rd-place play-off [5]
13 September 2014Four Provinces Flag.svg  Ireland 10–582014 Four Nations [6]
13 September 2014Flag of Scotland.svg  Scotland 14–34 [29]
14 September 2014Flag of England.svg  England 6–80 [6]
9 August 2015Four Provinces Flag.svg  Ireland 29–46Friendly [7]
24 September 2015Flag of Scotland.svg  Scotland 25–262015 European Championship [7]
25 September 2015Flag of England.svg  England 8–56 [7]
25 September 2015Flag of France.svg  France 5–52 [7]
26 September 2015Four Provinces Flag.svg  Ireland 36–46 [7]
30 April 2016Four Provinces Flag.svg  Ireland 76–262016 Celtic Cup [19]
30 April 2016Flag of Scotland.svg  Scotland 92–22 [30]
24 September 2016Exiles [Note 2] 42–182016 Four Nations [19]
24 September 2016Flag of Scotland.svg  Scotland 41–28 [32]
25 September 2016Flag of England.svg  England 14–56 [19]
25 September 2016Flag of England.svg  England 26–522016 Four Nations Final [19] [33]
29 April 2017Four Provinces Flag.svg  Ireland 51–62017 Celtic Cup [11]
29 April 2017Flag of Scotland.svg  Scotland 71–0 [34]
20 July 2017Flag of Australia (converted).svg  Australia 24–72 2017 World Cup Group stage [5]
22 July 2017Flag of England.svg  England 32–78 [5]
24 July 2017Flag of France.svg  France 10–118 [5]
25 July 2017Flag of Italy.svg  Italy 24–105 2017 World Cup Group stage play-off [5]
27 July 2017Flag of Spain.svg  Spain 66–45 2017 World Cup 5th-place play-off [5]
28 April 2018Flag of Scotland.svg  Scotland 112–412018 Celtic Cup [35]
28 April 2018Four Provinces Flag.svg  Ireland 84–30 [20]
27 April 2019Flag of Scotland.svg  Scotland 102–102019 Celtic Cup [36]
27 April 2019Four Provinces Flag.svg  Ireland 109–8 [21]
28 September 2019Flag of Scotland.svg  Scotland 90–122019 Tri-Nations [37]
28 September 2019Flag of England.svg  England 24–48 [21]
29 September 2019Flag of England.svg  England 40–542019 Tri-Nations Final [38]
12 June 2021Four Provinces Flag.svg  Ireland 96–162021 Celtic Cup [23]
12 June 2021Flag of Scotland.svg  Scotland 102–18 [39]
26 June 2021Flag of England.svg  England 22–102Friendly [23]
16 October 2021Four Provinces Flag.svg  Ireland 62–48Friendly [23]
30 October 2021Flag of Scotland.svg  Scotland 70–34Friendly [40]
7 May 2022Four Provinces Flag.svg  Ireland 64–222022 Celtic Cup [24]
7 May 2022Flag of Scotland.svg  Scotland 116–6 [41]
8 October 2022Four Provinces Flag.svg  Ireland 67–52Friendly [24]
29 October 2022Flag of Australia (converted).svg  Australia 38–86Friendly [24]
4 November 2022Flag of France.svg  France 6–154 2021 World Cup Group stage [24] [13]
7 November 2022Flag of the United States.svg  United States 50–32 [24]
10 November 2022Flag of Scotland.svg  Scotland 70–36 [24]
13 November 2022Flag of England.svg  England 22–125 2021 World Cup Semi-final [24] [16]
18 June 2023Four Provinces Flag.svg  Ireland 30–302023 Celtic Cup [25]
18 June 2023Flag of Scotland.svg  Scotland 76–30 [25]
14 January 2024 Armyrlcolours.png British Army 34–24Test series warm-up game [42]
2 February 2024Flag of the United States.svg  United States 78–24Two match test series [43]
3 February 2024Flag of the United States.svg  United States 52–22 [43]

Records

IRL Wheelchair World Rankings
Official rankings as of December 2023
RankChangeTeamPts %
1Steady2.svgFlag of England.svg  England 100
2Steady2.svg Flag of France.svg France88
3Steady2.svgFlag of Wales (1959-present).svg  Wales 59
4Steady2.svgFlag of Australia (converted).svg  Australia 48
5Steady2.svgFour Provinces Flag.svg  Ireland 42
6Steady2.svgFlag of Scotland.svg  Scotland 31
7Steady2.svg Flag of Spain.svg Spain22
8Steady2.svgFlag of the United States.svg  United States 19
9Steady2.svg Flag of Italy.svg Italy0
Complete rankings at INTRL.SPORT

Honours

Notes

  1. ↑ The first Celtic Cup took place in 2015 between Scotland and Ireland. Wales joined in 2016 to create a three-team tournament. [8]
  2. ↑ The Exiles were a mix of Irish, Welsh and English players as Ireland were unable to travel with a full side to the 2016 Four Nations [31]

Related Research Articles

<span class="mw-page-title-main">United Rugby Championship</span> Annual rugby union competition in Europe and South Africa

The United Rugby Championship (URC) is an annual rugby union competition involving professional teams from Ireland, Italy, Scotland, South Africa, and Wales. For sponsorship reasons the league is known as the Vodacom United Rugby Championship in South Africa, and the BKT United Rugby Championship in the competition's other territories, the split branding mirroring the format previously adopted in Super Rugby. The Championship represents the highest level of domestic club or franchise rugby in each of its constituent countries.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Scotland national rugby league team</span> Team in international rugby league football

The Scotland national rugby league team represent Scotland in international rugby league football tournaments. Following the break-up of the Great Britain team in 2007, Scottish players play solely for Scotland, apart from occasional Southern Hemisphere tours, for which the Great Britain team is expected to be revived. The team is nicknamed the Bravehearts.

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.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Rugby League World Cup</span> International rugby league football tournament

The Rugby League World Cup is an international rugby league tournament contested by the top national men's representative teams. The tournament is administered by the International Rugby League and was first held in France in 1954, which was the first World Cup held for any form of rugby football.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Aviva Stadium</span> Sports stadium in Dublin, Ireland

Aviva Stadium also known as Lansdowne Road or Dublin Arena is a sports stadium located in Dublin, Ireland, with a capacity for 51,711 spectators. It is built on the site of the former Lansdowne Road Stadium, which was demolished in 2007, and replaced it as home to its chief tenants: the Irish rugby union team and the Republic of Ireland football team. The decision to redevelop the stadium came after plans for both Stadium Ireland and Eircom Park fell through. Aviva Group Ireland signed a 10-year deal for the naming rights in 2009, and subsequently extended the arrangement until 2025.

The Wheelchair Rugby League World Cup is an international wheelchair rugby league tournament contested by the top national teams. The tournament was first held in Australia as part of the 2008 Festival of World Cups and was upgraded to a centrepiece event in 2021.

The England women's national Rugby League team represents England in Women's Rugby League. They are administered by the Rugby Football League. As Great Britain, they toured Australia in 1996, New Zealand in 1998, and reached the first-ever Women's Rugby League World Cup final in 2000, where they lost 26–4 to New Zealand.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">2021 Men's Rugby League World Cup</span>

The 2021 Men's Rugby League World Cup was the 16th Rugby League World Cup, and one of three major tournaments of the 2021 Rugby League World Cup. The tournament was held in England from 15 October 2022 to 19 November 2022. It was originally due to be held between 23 October 2021 and 27 November 2021, but the COVID-19 pandemic and the subsequent withdrawals of Australia and New Zealand caused the tournament to be postponed. 16 teams competed in the tournament, an increase of two from the previous two tournaments and the first to feature 16 teams since the 2000 Rugby League World Cup.

The 2021 Men's Rugby League World Cup qualification was the qualifying process which will decide the 8 teams that would join the 8 quarter-finalists from the 2017 World Cup including the hosts England, who received an automatic spot, at the 2021 Rugby League World Cup. The process commenced in June 2018, with the commencement of the 2018–19 Rugby League European Championship C tournament, which acted as the first round for European qualification.

The 2021 Women's Rugby League World Cup was the sixth staging of the Women's Rugby League World Cup, and was one of three major tournaments part of the 2021 Rugby League World Cup. The tournament was held in England from 1 November to 19 November 2022. Originally planned for 2021, it was delayed a year along with the men's and wheelchair tournaments due to the COVID-19 pandemic. The tournament featured eight teams, an increase of two from the previous tournament.

The 2021 Wheelchair Rugby League World Cup was the fourth staging of the Wheelchair Rugby League World Cup, and was one of three major tournaments part of the 2021 Rugby League World Cup. The tournament was held in England from 3 November to 18 November 2022. It was originally planned to be held in November 2021 but was postponed due to the COVID-19 pandemic in England. It was the first occasion on which the wheelchair rugby league competition took place concurrently with the men's and women's tournaments. The competition was also the first time that participants in the wheelchair tournament received the same participation fees as players in the other competitions and the first time that prize money was awarded.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">History of the Rugby League World Cup</span>

The Rugby League World Cup is an international rugby league tournament currently played every four years. The first tournament was held in 1954, hosted by France who had pushed for such a tournament to be approved. Since the first edition, 14 others have been held at sporadic intervals.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">International rugby league in 2022</span>

A list of men and women international rugby league matches played throughout 2022 and does not include wheelchair rugby league international matches. A † denotes a recognised, but unofficial match that did not contribute to the IRL World Rankings.

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 Wheelchair Rugby League Championship.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">2021 Rugby League World Cup</span> International rugby league tournaments

The 2021 Rugby League World Cup (RLWC2021) was a collection of world cups in the sport of rugby league, held in England from 15 October to 19 November 2022.

The Scotland national wheelchair rugby league team represents Scotland in wheelchair rugby league. They have competed at the World Cup, the European Championships and several tournaments within the British Isles, such as the Celtic Cup and Four Nations competitions.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Ireland national wheelchair rugby league team</span>

The Ireland national wheelchair rugby league team represents Ireland in wheelchair rugby league. They have competed at the World Cup, the European Championships, the Celtic Cup and Four Nations competitions.

The United States national wheelchair rugby league team represents the United States in wheelchair rugby league. The team, nicknamed the Hawks, is controlled by USA Rugby League, the governing body for rugby league in the United States. Formed in 2022, the team made its debut at the 2021 Wheelchair Rugby League World Cup finishing third in their group with one victory and two defeats.

The Celtic Cup is an international wheelchair rugby league tournament contested annually by Scotland, Ireland and Wales. It was first held as a two-match series between Scotland and Ireland in 2015 which was won by Ireland. Wales joined in 2016 to create a three-team round-robin tournament and have won the cup seven times between 2016 and 2023.

The Australia national wheelchair rugby league team represent Australia in wheelchair rugby league. The team have played at all four World Cup tournaments and were finalists in the inaugural competition in 2008.

References

  1. 1 2 "Wales Wheelchair celebrates ten years". Wales Rugby League. 7 July 2022. Retrieved 8 November 2022.
  2. ↑ "England win Wheelchair Four Nations". European Rugby League. 12 July 2012. Retrieved 7 November 2022.
  3. ↑ "Wheelchair Fixtures: 2012". Wales Rugby League. Retrieved 7 November 2022.
  4. ↑ "Hull hosts Wheelchair Rugby League 4 Nations". European Rugby League. 3 July 2012. Retrieved 7 November 2022.
  5. 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 "Wheelchair World Cup". rugbyleague.wales. Retrieved 7 November 2022.
  6. 1 2 3 "Wheelchair Fixtures: 2014". Wales Rugby League. Retrieved 7 November 2022.
  7. 1 2 3 4 5 6 "Wheelchair Fixtures: 2015". Wales Rugby League. Retrieved 7 November 2022.
  8. 1 2 3 "Celtic Cup". Scotland Rugby League. Retrieved 7 November 2022.
  9. ↑ "Wales set sights on sixth straight Celtic Cup". Everything Rugby League. 7 May 2022. Retrieved 7 November 2022.
  10. 1 2 "Wales retain wheelchair Celtic Cup after historic draw". International Rugby League. 18 June 2023. Retrieved 19 June 2023.
  11. 1 2 3 "Wheelchair Fixtures: 2017". Wales Rugby League. Retrieved 7 November 2022.
  12. ↑ "Match Report: 2017 Wheelchair Rugby League World Cup Fifth-Place Play-Off". Wales Rugby League. Retrieved 7 November 2022.
  13. 1 2 3 "France fall just short of world record in breathtaking Wheelchair rugby league opener". Love Rugby League. 4 November 2022. Retrieved 8 November 2022.
  14. ↑ "Wheelchair Rugby League World Cup: Wales see off USA 50–32 to keep semi-final hopes alive". BBC Sport. 7 November 2022. Retrieved 8 November 2022.
  15. ↑ "Wheelchair Rugby League World Cup: Wales beat Scotland 70-36 to set up England semi-final". BBC Sport. 10 November 2022. Retrieved 10 November 2022.
  16. 1 2 "England Wheelchair 125–22 Wales Wheelchair". RLWC2021. 13 November 2022. Retrieved 13 November 2022.
  17. ↑ "RLWC2021: Women's and Wheelchair Teams of the Tournament revealed". Love Rugby League. 15 November 2022. Retrieved 15 November 2022.
  18. ↑ "Rugby League World Cup 2021: Official wheelchair squads". NRL.com. 3 October 2022. Retrieved 7 November 2022.
  19. 1 2 3 4 5 "Wheelchair Fixtures: 2016". Wales Rugby League. Retrieved 7 November 2022.
  20. 1 2 "Wheelchair Fixtures: 2018". Wales Rugby League. Retrieved 7 November 2022.
  21. 1 2 3 "Wheelchair Fixtures: 2019". Wales Rugby League. Retrieved 7 November 2022.
  22. ↑ "The Wheelchair Rugby League Celtic Cup returns to Scotland". Scotland Rugby League. 11 February 2021. Retrieved 7 November 2022.
  23. 1 2 3 4 "Wheelchair Fixtures: 2021". Wales Rugby League. Retrieved 7 November 2022.
  24. 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 "Wheelchair Fixtures: 2022". Wales Rugby League. Retrieved 7 November 2022.
  25. 1 2 3 "Wheelchair Fixtures: 2023". Wales Rugby League. Retrieved 19 June 2023.
  26. ↑ "Wales 20v6 Scotland". Wales Rugby League. Retrieved 7 November 2022.
  27. ↑ "Wales 44–4 Ireland". European Rugby League. Retrieved 7 November 2022.
  28. ↑ "England 34–0 Wales". European Rugby League. Retrieved 7 November 2022.
  29. ↑ "WAL Wheelchair 14v34 SCOT Wheelchair". Wales Rugby League. Retrieved 7 November 2022.
  30. ↑ "SCOT Wheelchair 22v92 WAL Wheelchair". Scotland Rugby League. Retrieved 7 November 2022.
  31. ↑ "Exiles Wheelchair 62v24 SCOT Wheelchair". Scotland Rugby League. Retrieved 7 November 2022.
  32. ↑ "SCOT Wheelchair 28v41 WAL Wheelchair". Wales Rugby League. Retrieved 7 November 2022.
  33. ↑ "England claim Wheelchair 4 Nations title". Scotland Rugby League. 27 September 2016. Retrieved 7 November 2022.
  34. ↑ "SCOT Wheelchair 0v71 WAL Wheelchair". Wales Rugby League. Retrieved 7 November 2022.
  35. ↑ "WAL Wheelchair 112v41 SCOT Wheelchair". Wales Rugby League. Retrieved 7 November 2022.
  36. ↑ "SCOT Wheelchair 10v102 WAL Wheelchair". Wales Rugby League. Retrieved 7 November 2022.
  37. ↑ "WAL Wheelchair 90v12 SCOT Wheelchair". Wales Rugby League. Retrieved 7 November 2022.
  38. ↑ "WAL Wheelchair 40v54 ENG Wheelchair". Wales Rugby League. Retrieved 7 November 2022.
  39. ↑ "SCOT Wheelchair 18v102 WAL Wheelchair". Wales Rugby League. Retrieved 7 November 2022.
  40. ↑ "WAL Wheelchair 70v34 SCOT Wheelchair". Wales Rugby League. Retrieved 7 November 2022.
  41. ↑ "WAL Wheelchair 116v6 SCOT Wheelchair". Wales Rugby League. Retrieved 7 November 2022.
  42. ↑ "Cadair Olwyn | Wales 34 The Army 24". Wales Rugby League. 14 January 2024. Retrieved 22 March 2024.
  43. 1 2 "Wheelchair Fixtures: 2024". Wales Rugby League. Retrieved 4 February 2024.

Official website

This page is based on this Wikipedia article
Text is available under the CC BY-SA 4.0 license; additional terms may apply.
Images, videos and audio are available under their respective licenses.