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Wheelchair rugby league is a wheelchair-based version of rugby league football, one of two recognised disability versions of the sport. It was developed in France in 2000. Unlike other wheelchair sports, people without disabilities are allowed to compete in top-level competition.^[1] The sport is also unique in the fact that men and women of any age can play against each other in top-level competition.

History

Wheelchair rugby league was developed by French rugby league players and coaches, Robert Fassolette and Wally Salvan, in 2000.^[2]^[3]^[4] The first competition was played by three teams, Vichy, Roanne and Beauvais, as part of a French Téléthon.^[4] Meetings establishing the official rules of the sport took place in 2002.^[5] The sport spread to the south of France with the establishment of teams from Perpignan, Cahors, and Montauban in 2004,^[4] and internationally after a tour by a French team to Australia^[6] and an exhibition match played in England in 2005.^[7] In May 2006, the RLIF accepted a proposal by France to endorse wheelchair rugby league^[8] and a month later the first test match was played between France and a touring Great Britain team.^[9] The first international between England and France took place in 2007 and the following year the inaugural World Cup was held in Australia.^[7]

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.^[10] In 2013, the venue for the World Cup, Medway Park, had a crowd capacity of 500.^[11] However, following the 2021 World Cup (played in 2022), where the competition was given equal prominence with the men's and women's game,^[12]^[13] 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 areas 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%.^[10]

In March 2024, wheelchair rugby league's first ever varsity fixture was played between Brunel University London and St Mary's University, Twickenham.^[14]

New Zealand made their international debut on 1 November 2024, marking the tenth nation to participate in the sport at international level.^[15]

Geography

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

IRL Wheelchair World Rankings v t e
Official rankings as of June 2024
Rank	Change	Team	Pts %
1		England	100
2		France	89
3		Australia	61
4	1	Ireland	49
5	1	Wales	47
6		Scotland	38
7	1	United States	27
8	1	Spain	23
9		Italy	0
Complete rankings at INTRL.SPORT

Rules

The game shares many features with the regular rugby league:^[16]

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^[17]

The game then sees its own particular rules:

Five players in each team^[18]
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

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.^[19] Also, in a world first, all matches were broadcast by the BBC.

World Cup summaries

Year	Host nation(s)	Teams	Final result
Year	Host nation(s)	Teams	Winner	Score	Runner-up
2008	Sydney, Australia	4	England	44–12	Australia
2013^[20]	Gillingham, England	6	France	42–40^[21]	England
2017	France	7	France	38–34	England
2021	England	8	England	28–24^[22]	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
Year	Host nation(s)	Teams	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

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

England: 5
France: 6

Domestic competitions

ARL^[23]

Wheelchair NRL
Wheelchair State Challenge

FFR^[24]

Wheelchair Elite One Championship
Wheelchair Elite Two Championship

RFL^[25]

SRL^[26]

Wheelchair Premiership^[a]

WRL^[27]

Wheelchair Invitational League^[b]

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 then regional development leagues. Teams in Britain include:^[25]

Super League

Halifax Panthers
Hull F.C.
Leeds Rhinos
London Roosters
Warrington Wolves
Wigan Warriors

Championship

Bradford Bulls
Mersey Storm
North Wales Crusaders
Rochdale Hornets
Sheffield Eagles

Regional Development

Argonauts
Bedford Tigers
Gravesend Dynamite
Hereford Harriers
Medway Dragons
Torfaen Tigers
Wakefield Trinity
Woodland Warriors
York Knights

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:^[24]

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

^ Scottish clubs are not integrated into the British system but still participate in the Challenge Cup.
^ A separately run league outside of the British system. Welsh clubs participate in the Wheelchair Super League and Wheelchair Championship as their primary competition.

References

^ http://www.nswrl.com.au/article.php?id=828 ^{[dead link]}
^ "The Fassolette-Kielty Trophy". RFL. 12 November 2021. Retrieved 26 March 2024.
^ "Rules of the Game". NRL Wheelchair. Retrieved 26 March 2024.
^ ^a ^b ^c "Handisport : le Para Rugby XIII et le rugby fauteuil, deux disciplines distinctes au service d'une même cause" (in French). FFRXIII. 25 November 2023. Retrieved 26 March 2024.
^ "Coupe du Monde: Les places pour les demi-finales à Toulouse sont en vente!" (in French). FFRXIII. 6 July 2017. Retrieved 26 March 2024.
^ "International pioneer Tas Baitieri receives Order of Australia Medal". International Rugby League. 12 June 2023. Retrieved 26 March 2024.
^ ^a ^b "Rugby League pioneers recognised in New Year's Honours". Rugby Football League. 31 December 2013. Archived from the original on 9 February 2014.
^ "RLF meeting". Rugby League European Federation. 6 May 2006. Archived from the original on 22 May 2006.
^ "Major stages and big events". Rugby XIII Fauteuil. Archived from the original on 13 November 2008.
^ ^a ^b Bower, Aaron (2023-11-06). "Wheelchair rugby league is booming: it can open up new doors for the sport". The Guardian. ISSN 0261-3077. Retrieved 2023-11-15.
^ "Volunteers wanted for World Cup". Kent Sports News. 1 May 2013. Retrieved 20 March 2024.
^ "Nations Confirmed For Wheelchair Rugby League World Cup 2021". Able Magazine. 19 July 2019. Retrieved 16 January 2020.
^ Heppenstall, Ross (21 October 2019). "2021 Rugby League World Cup: Female and wheelchair players to receive same fees as male counterparts for first time". The Telegraph. Retrieved 16 January 2020.
^ "London universities set for Wheelchair Rugby League's first varsity match".
^ https://nzrl.co.nz/wheel-kiwis-make-historic-debut-against-the-wheelaroos/
^ Smith, Peter (4 November 2023). "Wheelchair rugby league explained: history, rules, England v France rivalry and Leeds Test ticket details". Yorkshire Evening Post. Retrieved 20 February 2024.
^ The 2006 rules Archived 2007-08-29 at the Wayback Machine
^ "Wheelchair rugby league". RFL. Archived from the original on 28 February 2009.
^ Bower, Aaron (18 November 2022). "England edge Out France to win Wheelchair Rugby League World Cup". The Guardian.
^ "FOWC 2013". www.rlfowc2013.com. Archived from the original on 2013-03-31.
^ "Match Report: Wheelchair World Cup Final". European Rugby League. Retrieved 3 November 2022.
^ "England beat France to win Wheelchair Rugby League World Cup - reaction". BBC Sport. Retrieved 2022-11-18.
^ "Wheelchair Rugby League – A Game For All". November 21, 2023.
^ ^a ^b "Championnats Fauteuil". 22 September 2017.
^ ^a ^b "Wheelchair Rugby League". Rugby League. Retrieved 2 December 2022.
^ "Scotland Rugby League Herald New Era".
^ "Finals places up for grabs on Sunday - Wales Rugby League (WRL)". September 29, 2023.

External links

[27] Scottish clubs are not integrated into the British system but still participate in the Challenge Cup.

[29] A separately run league outside of the British system. Welsh clubs participate in the Wheelchair Super League and Wheelchair Championship as their primary competition.

[1] ttp://www.nswrl.com.au/article.php?id=828 ^{[dead link]}

[2] "The Fassolette-Kielty Trophy". RFL. 12 November 2021. Retrieved 26 March 2024.

[3] "Rules of the Game". NRL Wheelchair. Retrieved 26 March 2024.

[FFRXIII25NOV2023-4] "Handisport : le Para Rugby XIII et le rugby fauteuil, deux disciplines distinctes au service d'une même cause" (in French). FFRXIII. 25 November 2023. Retrieved 26 March 2024.

[5] "Coupe du Monde: Les places pour les demi-finales à Toulouse sont en vente!" (in French). FFRXIII. 6 July 2017. Retrieved 26 March 2024.

[6] "International pioneer Tas Baitieri receives Order of Australia Medal". International Rugby League. 12 June 2023. Retrieved 26 March 2024.

[RL29307-7] "Rugby League pioneers recognised in New Year's Honours". Rugby Football League. 31 December 2013. Archived from the original on 9 February 2014.

[8] "RLF meeting". Rugby League European Federation. 6 May 2006. Archived from the original on 22 May 2006.

[9] "Major stages and big events". Rugby XIII Fauteuil. Archived from the original on 13 November 2008.

[21Legacy-10] Bower, Aaron (2023-11-06). "Wheelchair rugby league is booming: it can open up new doors for the sport". The Guardian. ISSN 0261-3077. Retrieved 2023-11-15.

[11] "Volunteers wanted for World Cup". Kent Sports News. 1 May 2013. Retrieved 20 March 2024.

[12] "Nations Confirmed For Wheelchair Rugby League World Cup 2021". Able Magazine. 19 July 2019. Retrieved 16 January 2020.

[13] Heppenstall, Ross (21 October 2019). "2021 Rugby League World Cup: Female and wheelchair players to receive same fees as male counterparts for first time". The Telegraph. Retrieved 16 January 2020.

[14] "London universities set for Wheelchair Rugby League's first varsity match".

[15] ttps://nzrl.co.nz/wheel-kiwis-make-historic-debut-against-the-wheelaroos/

[16] Smith, Peter (4 November 2023). "Wheelchair rugby league explained: history, rules, England v France rivalry and Leeds Test ticket details". Yorkshire Evening Post. Retrieved 20 February 2024.

[17] The 2006 rules Archived 2007-08-29 at the Wayback Machine

[18] "Wheelchair rugby league". RFL. Archived from the original on 28 February 2009.

[19] Bower, Aaron (18 November 2022). "England edge Out France to win Wheelchair Rugby League World Cup". The Guardian.

[20] "FOWC 2013". www.rlfowc2013.com. Archived from the original on 2013-03-31.

[21] "Match Report: Wheelchair World Cup Final". European Rugby League. Retrieved 3 November 2022.

[22] "England beat France to win Wheelchair Rugby League World Cup - reaction". BBC Sport. Retrieved 2022-11-18.

[23] "Wheelchair Rugby League – A Game For All". November 21, 2023.

[FFR-24] "Championnats Fauteuil". 22 September 2017.

[RFL-25] "Wheelchair Rugby League". Rugby League. Retrieved 2 December 2022.

[26] "Scotland Rugby League Herald New Era".

[28] "Finals places up for grabs on Sunday - Wales Rugby League (WRL)". September 29, 2023.

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Wheelchair rugby league