England Dominates Wales in Wheelchair World Cup Opener

England commenced their Wheelchair World Cup title defense with a significant 98-18 victory against Wales in Wollongong. The match featured England scoring 18 tries compared to Wales' three, with Rob Hawkins contributing 11 tries and four conversions, totaling 52 points.

Nathan Collins also excelled, scoring four tries and successfully converting nine out of eleven attempts. Other try-scorers included Joe Coyd, Jack Brown, and Mason Billington. Despite the commanding win, Hawkins expressed that the team's performance did not meet their standards, citing errors that allowed points to slip away.

Wales initially kept the match competitive, narrowing the score to 18-12 with tries from Stuart Williams and Sid Ramsey. However, England surged ahead with 28 unanswered points, leading 46-12 at halftime. Ramsey later added a second try for Wales in the 71st minute. In another Group A match, Ireland set a new international points record by defeating the United States 110-10.