England's wheelchair rugby league star Rob Hawkins has battled chronic fatigue syndrome to become a key figure in the team's defence of their World Cup title. The 25-year-old Halifax Panthers wing, who was bedbound for 18 months before discovering the sport in 2014, has scored 14 tries at the 2026 tournament as England prepare to face hosts Australia in the semi-finals at Wollongong on Tuesday (08:45 GMT).
From illness to international stardom
Hawkins' journey to the World Cup began with a chance encounter: he responded to what he thought was an advertisement for wheelchair basketball, only to find a wheelchair rugby league session. Despite his condition limiting him to 20 minutes in a chair initially, he persisted. "When I found out that I could play internationally it kind of drove my competitiveness back out that I didn't have since before the condition," Hawkins told BBC Sport.
His resilience has earned him the IRL Golden Boot Award as International Wheelchair Player of the Year in both 2024 and 2025, as well as the Super League's Wheels of Steel award for the competition's best player.
England's path to the semi-finals
England topped Pool A with commanding victories: 98-18 over Wales, 134-0 against the USA, and 68-32 against Ireland. Australia, meanwhile, suffered a 69-34 loss to France after earlier wins over New Zealand and Scotland. Hawkins says the team is relishing the pressure of facing the hosts. "We know they have been bringing a decent crowd in and that it is going to be a difficult game... but we also know that we are confident to basically go and do our game and stick to our game plan."
Wales and Scotland to contest fifth place
In the classification matches, Wales defeated New Zealand 64-36 to reach the fifth-place play-off final, where they will meet Scotland in Wollongong on Thursday. Wales captain Jodie Boyd-Ward became the first player in Wheelchair World Cup history to reach 50 caps, marking the milestone with two tries.
