Wheelchair rugby league is a wheelchair-based version of rugby league football, one of two recognised disability versions of the sport. It was developed by French rugby league player, coach and official, Wally Salvan in 2004. Unlike other wheelchair sports, people without disabilities are allowed to compete in top-level competition. The sport is also unique in the fact that men and women of any age can play against each other in top-level competition.
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:
- 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
Clubs
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.
- Catalans Dragons
United Kingdom
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 Super League, Championship League and then regional development leagues. Teams in Britain include:
- Bedford Tigers
- Bradford Bulls
- Celts
- Dundee Dragons
- Gravesend Dynamite
- Halifax Panthers
- Hereford Harriers
- Hull FC
- Leeds Rhinos
- Leyland Warriors
- Medway Dragons
- Mersey Storm
- Newcastle Thunder
- North Wales Crusaders
- Rochdale Hornets
- Sheffield Eagles
- St Helens
- Swindon St. George
- Torfaen Tigers
- Wakefield Trinity
- Warrington Wolves
- Wigan Warriors
- Woodland Warriors
International Competitions
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 just under 5000. Also, in a world first all matches were broadcast by the BBC.
The next World Cup will be in France as part of the 2025 Rugby League World Cup.
World Cup summaries
| Year | Host nation(s) | Teams | Final result | ||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Winner | Score | Runner-up | |||
| 2008 | Sydney, Australia | 4 |
 England
|
44 – 12 |
 Australia
|
| 2013 | Gillingham, England | 6 |
 France
|
42 – 40 |
England
|
| 2017 | France | 7 |
France
|
38 – 34 |
England
|
| 2021 | England | 8 |
England
|
28 – 24 |
France
|
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
| Year | Host nation(s) | Teams | Final result | ||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Winner | Score | Runner-up | |||
| 2015 | Gillingham, England | 5 |
England
|
28 – 24 |
France
|
Celtic Cup
The Celtic Cup has been held annually since 2015 and features the three Celtic nations of the British Isles – Ireland, Scotland, and Wales.
Titles
Domestic Competitions
- Wheelchair Super League
- Wheelchair Championship
- Wheelchair Challenge Cup
- Wheelchair Premiership
See also
- IRL Wheelchair World Rankings
- Wheelchair sports
- Wheelchair rugby
- Wheelchair Australian rules football
External links
- RFL page on Wheelchair rugby league
- Boots'N'All feature on Wheelchair rugby league
- English Federation of Disabled Sport
- RL Festival of World Cups 2013
| Rugby union |
|
||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Rugby league |
|
||||||||
| Related articles | |||||||||
