England defeated France 50-38 in the Wheelchair Rugby League World Cup final in Wollongong on Friday.
England successfully defended the title they won in Manchester four years ago.
Coach Tom Coyd steered clear of using the word ‘defend’ during the four-year buildup since England lifted the trophy in November 2022, opting for an aggressive, hunter-inspired mindset.
“And the narrative that we felt might be upon us coming in was that we are here to defend and we are here to retain,” Coyd said, as reported by Yahoo Sports.
The squad used a ladder in team meetings to visualize their path to the trophy in Australia, and they spray-painted a gold rung with each victory alongside comparing themselves to lifeguards and sharks.
“If we had not spent the last four years talking about defending the World Cup, we weren’t going to spend the last three weeks [at this tournament] talking about it either,” Coyd added.
The tactical approach yielded 386 points across the group stage and semi-finals while conceding just 68.
England forged ahead before fighting back from a 22-10 deficit against Cyril Torres’ French side to secure the program’s third Wheelchair World Cup title.
France reeled off 22 unanswered points to take a lead thirty minutes into the match.
Tries from Jack Brown and world’s best player Rob Hawkins restored order before halftime.
A short interval huddle led by captain Lewis King provided reassurance during the moment when the match felt like it was slipping.
“We don’t need a massive rousing ‘let’s all go together’ type of speech,” said Joe Coyd, who scored four of England’s nine tries.
Jack Brown said that the team possessed so many leaders that they knew what they had to do.
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