Wheelchair rugby league

History

Wheelchair rugby league was developed by French rugby league players and coaches, Robert Fassolette and Wally Salvan, in 2000. The first competition was played by three teams, Vichy, Roanne and Beauvais, as part of a French Téléthon. The sport spread to the south of France with the establishment of teams from Perpignan, Cahors, and Montauban in 2004, and two exhibition matches played in England in 2005. and a month later the first test match was played between France and a touring Great Britain team. The first international between England and France took place in 2007 and the following year the inaugural World Cup was held in Australia.

From its inception, until very recently, the top level of the sport was played no differently to other levels of the game. All matches took place in community sports halls, including international games, often with no-one in attendance. In 2013, the venue for the World Cup, Medway Park, had a crowd capacity of 500. Following France's win at that World Cup, a crowd of 2,700 was recorded for their next home match against England in 2014. In Australia, the attendance of 1,000 at the Wheelchair State of Origin match in 2019 was estimated to have been twice the size of the previous year. However, following the 2021 World Cup (played in 2022), where the competition was given equal prominence with the men's and women's game, the popularity of the sport, both during and after the tournament, exploded. Games of the 2021 tournament, and following matches, have since been played in major arenas in countries such as Australia, France, and the United Kingdom, often with several thousand in attendance. In the year following the 2021 World Cup, participation of the sport also rose by 71%.

In March 2024, wheelchair rugby league's first ever varsity fixture was played between Brunel University London and St Mary's University, Twickenham.

New Zealand made their international debut on 1 November 2024, marking the tenth nation to participate in the sport at international level.

Geography

There are only ten countries with national wheelchair rugby league teams registered with the International Rugby League.

Rules

The game shares many features with the regular rugby league:

• Use of a size 4 rugby ball
• Ball may only be passed backwards
• Each team retains possession for six tackles, after which there is a hand-over
• A modified version of the play-the-ball is used after a tackle
• Same offside rules as rugby league
• The 2006 rules

The game then sees its own particular rules:

• Five players in each team
• All kicks – penalties, drop outs and conversions – are taken with the fist
• Matches are generally played on a handball court with dimensions of 40×20 metres
• Indoor rugby posts are put in place for conversions, drop kicks and penalty kicks
• In professional competition a maximum of two 'able bodied' players are allowed on the pitch per team

International competitions

World Cup

Main article: Wheelchair Rugby League World Cup

The inaugural Wheelchair Rugby League World Cup was held at indoor venues in Sydney, Australia in 2008.

The 2013 Wheelchair RL World Cup was held in Gillingham, England in July. It saw a tightly fought game with big collisions culminate in a victory for France.

The 2017 World Cup was held in the south of France in July. The holders, France, triumphed over a strong England side in another tightly fought contest.

The 2021 World Cup (played in 2022 due to the COVID-19 pandemic) took place in England with 8 teams, England, Wales, Scotland, Ireland, France, Spain, USA and Australia. For the USA this was to be their first major tournament. England defeated France 28–24 in the final in Manchester with an attendance of 4,526, the largest in the sport's history. Also, in a world first, all matches were broadcast by the BBC.

World Cup summaries

European Championship

Main article: Wheelchair Rugby League European Championship

The Wheelchair Rugby League European Championship was first held in 2015 as a one off tournament. It is expected to occur every four years from 2023.

European Championship summaries

Celtic Cup

Main article: Celtic Cup (wheelchair rugby league)

The Celtic Cup has been held annually since 2015 and features the three Celtic nations of the British Isles – Ireland, Scotland, and Wales.

;Titles

• IRE Ireland: 3
• SCO Scotland: 0
• WAL Wales: 7

Fassolette-Kielty Trophy

Main article: Fassolette-Kielty Trophy

The Fassolette-Kielty Trophy is a challenge competition between England and France, and is played for during all non-tournament tests.

;Titles

• ENG England: 5
• FRA France: 7

The Ashes

Main article: Wheelchair rugby league Ashes

The Ashes is a competition between Australia and England. It was first contested in 2019.

;Titles

• AUS Australia: 0
• ENG England: 2

Domestic competitions

:AUS ARL

• NRL Wheelchair Championship
• Wheelchair State Challenge

:FRA FFR

• Wheelchair Elite One Championship
• Wheelchair Elite Two Championship
• Coupe de France de Para Rugby XIII

:UK RFL

• Wheelchair Super League
• Wheelchair Championship
• Wheelchair Challenge Cup
• Wheelchair Challenge Trophy

:SCO SRL

• Wheelchair Premiership

:WAL WRL

• Wheelchair Invitational League

;Multi national

• European Club Challenge

List of Clubs

England and Wales

The British domestic league is one of the more established in the world with over twenty teams from across the country taking part. They feature in the RFL Wheelchair Super League, Championship League and regional development leagues. Teams in Britain include:

;Super League

• Edinburgh Giants
• Halifax Panthers
• Hull F.C.
• Leeds Rhinos
• London Roosters
• Sheffield Eagles
• Wigan Warriors

;Championship - East

• Batley Bulldogs
• Bradford Bulls
• Castleford Tigers
• Hull KR
• Wakefield Trinity
• York Knights

;Championship - West

• Hereford Harriers
• North Wales Crusaders
• Rochdale Hornets
• Salford Red Devils
• Warrington Wolves
• Widnes Vikings

;Regional South

• Bedford Tigers
• Brentwood Eels
• Gravesend Dynamite
• Medway Dragons
• Woodland Warriors

France

As with the running variant of the sport, most of the French wheelchair rugby league teams are situated in the south of the country. A list of clubs include:

• Aingirak
• Avignon
• Catalans Dragons
• Montauban
• Saint Jory
• Toulouse Olympique

Scotland

Unlike the running game, the Scottish league is not integrated into the British rugby league system, however the teams have played in the all Great Britain Wheelchair Challenge Cup.

• Dundee Dragons
• Edinburgh Giants
• Glasgow RL

Notes

References

References

1. (3 December 2009}}{{Dead link). "NSWWRL Launched". NSWRL.
2. (12 November 2021). "The Fassolette-Kielty Trophy". RFL.
3. "Rules of the Game". NRL Wheelchair.
4. (25 November 2023). "Handisport : le Para Rugby XIII et le rugby fauteuil, deux disciplines distinctes au service d'une même cause". FFRXIII.
5. (6 July 2017). "Coupe du Monde: Les places pour les demi-finales à Toulouse sont en vente!". FFRXIII.
6. (31 December 2013). "Rugby League pioneers recognised in New Year's Honours".
7. (6 May 2006). "RLF meeting".
8. "Major stages and big events".
9. Bower, Aaron. (2023-11-06). "Wheelchair rugby league is booming: it can open up new doors for the sport". The Guardian.
10. (1 May 2013). "Volunteers wanted for World Cup".
11. (15 May 2014). "Pari réussi pour l'Equipe de France XIII Fauteuil".
12. (11 July 2019). "Blues' sweep made possible by wheelchair success". NRL.
13. (19 July 2019). "Nations Confirmed For Wheelchair Rugby League World Cup 2021".
14. (21 October 2019). "2021 Rugby League World Cup: Female and wheelchair players to receive same fees as male counterparts for first time". The Telegraph.
15. "London universities set for Wheelchair Rugby League's first varsity match".
16. (2 November 2024). "Wheel Kiwis make historic debut against the Wheelaroos".
17. (4 November 2023). "Wheelchair rugby league explained: history, rules, England v France rivalry and Leeds Test ticket details". Yorkshire Evening Post.
18. [http://www.pushandpower.org.au/Rugby%20League%20Rules%202006.pdf The 2006 rules] {{Webarchive. link. (2007-08-29)
19. "Wheelchair rugby league". RFL.
20. (18 November 2022). "England edge Out France to win Wheelchair Rugby League World Cup". The Guardian.
21. "FOWC 2013".
22. "Match Report: Wheelchair World Cup Final".
23. "England beat France to win Wheelchair Rugby League World Cup - reaction".
24. (24 October 2019). "England Wheelchair win Ashes series against Australia".
25. (November 21, 2023). "Wheelchair Rugby League – A Game For All".
26. (22 September 2017). "Championnats Fauteuil".
27. "Scotland Rugby League Herald New Era".
28. (September 29, 2023). "Finals places up for grabs on Sunday - Wales Rugby League (WRL)".
29. "Wheelchair Rugby League".
30. (18 December 2024). "Leeds face Edinburgh in Wheelchair Super League opener". [[BBC Sport]].