England beat Ireland to top Wheelchair World Cup group

England beat Ireland 68-32 to finish top of Pool A at the Wheelchair Rugby League World Cup, securing a semi-final against co-hosts Australia. The reigning champions recovered from a difficult start to win, though captain Lewis King said the performance fell short of the team’s standards.

Ireland led 14-0 and later 20-4 in the first half, but England went into the break 22-20 ahead and scored 40 unanswered points after half-time before Ireland added a late try. Joe Coyd scored four tries and Rob Hawkins three, as England maintained a perfect group record after earlier wins over Wales and the USA. Elsewhere, France beat Australia 69-34, Scotland earned their first World Cup victory by defeating New Zealand 62-18, and Wales beat the USA 92-18.