For England’s men and women, the Rugby League World Cup journey could be ending this week – but for the wheelchair team, the story is just beginning.

While a victory in either of the men’s or women’s tournaments would rank as a monumental shock at this point, the expectation for England’s wheelchair players is much higher. Defending champions from a win on home soil four years ago, Tom Coyd’s side head to Australia as big favourites to go back-to-back.

And the stories of all 10 players that will make that trip are well worth finding out more about. Here is every one of the men hoping to bring the trophy back home profiled in closer detail..

Mason Billington (London Roosters)

The London Roosters star only made his international debut two years ago against France, but he is another key member of Coyd’s squad heading to Australia.

Billington hails from Essex and like a few others on this team, started out playing wheelchair basketball before he moved into rugby league as recently as 2024. He broke his back a decade ago, leading him to take up a career in professional wheelchair sport. He could be the secret weapon for England this autumn.

Jack Brown (Halifax Panthers)

Long considered one of the best players ever to have played wheelchair rugby league, Brown’s story as an able-bodied player is different to some of his team-mates, but born out of a deep-rooted family bond.

He was inspired to play wheelchair rugby league after his younger brother lost both his legs due to meningitis, and he has been a member of England squads since all the way back in the late-2000s. Brown is even credited with the growth of the game in Australia, having moved there several years ago – but he is now back in England, and starring for the all-conquering Halifax Panthers.

Nathan Collins (Leeds Rhinos)

The Leeds native, who was born with dwarfism and initially started out as a wheelchair basketball player before switching to rugby league, has been one of the stars of the discipline in England for years.

He has spent his entire career in the sport with the Rhinos, and is another who was part of the squad that went all the way on home soil four years ago.

Joe Coyd (London Roosters)

The brother of head coach Tom, London superstar Joe Coyd has been involved in rugby league across various disciplines for nearly 20 years, dating all the way back to him playing for Medway Dragons in the running version of the sport.

He was infamously drawn to the wheelchair discipline after attending a taster session 15 years ago, committing to wheelchair rugby league with Medway – and he is now a star for London Roosters. He is also a former winner of the Wheels of Steel award, and is another looking to go back-to-back having won the World Cup four years ago.

Luis Domingos (Sheffield Eagles)

Few have a journey to this point quite like England’s newest superstar sensation of the wheelchair game. Luis Domingos has been a wheelchair user since an early age after contracting polio as a child – but it has not deterred from having a remarkable sporting career to date.

Domingos, who made his debut in last year’s Ashes, spent a number of years playing wheelchair basketball to a professional standard in Italy, Spain and Portugal. He was born in Portugal before moving to England as a teenager – but would end up back in the country of his birth to represent them.

Domingos came back to England to study, and began playing wheelchair rugby league for Castleford, helping them win the Championship Grand Final last year. Now, he is a star of Sheffield: and a star of this tournament in-waiting.

Rob Hawkins (Halifax Panthers)

The best player in the world needs no introduction to anyone who has watched wheelchair rugby league before. The diminutive figure of Hawkins away from the arenas he stars in almost disappears when he gets in the chair and plays – with his talent clear for all to see.

A star of their World Cup win four years ago, Hawkins has been with hometown club Halifax all his career, and he made his England debut as far back as 2019. He is the first and only player in rugby league history to defend a Golden Boot honour in any discipline, having won the wheelchair version of the award in 2024 and 2025.

This year, he has been at his brilliant best once again for the Panthers: scoring an incredible 70 tries as they won a domestic treble once again.

Chris Haynes (Sheffield Eagles)

Sheffield lad Haynes is one of the up and coming stars in wheelchair rugby league. He has been the pin-up player for the Eagles for the last few years, winning their player of the year award four times in a row.

He was first brought into the England picture in 2024, and has now earned the opportunity to fulfil his dream of playing for his country at a World Cup. Haynes suffered a life-changing injury five years ago when he was knocked off his bike, which brought to an end his playing days in the running game: but he now stars in the wheelchair version of the sport.

Lewis King (London Roosters)

Like some of his other team-mates, Lewis King’s journey to the pinnacle of international rugby league came via a stint in wheelchair basketball. King is disabled, having suffered a blood clot in his spinal cord as a youngster which left him with walking disabilities.

The Kent native has been playing wheelchair rugby league for a decade, starting with the Argonauts in London before switching to the London Roosters as they merged with a number of teams and joined the Wheelchair Super League.

The very first winner of the Wheels of Steel award, King is England’s captain in Australia.

Tristan Norfolk (Leeds Rhinos)

Norfolk is another new name in the England setup compared to some other mainstays, having only made his debut in 2023. He began his career in wheelchair rugby league with Hull FC before making a successful move to Leeds, where he has emerged as one of the WSL’s very best players. That led to him being shortlisted for the Wheels of Steel award.

Finlay O’Neill (Halifax Panthers)

Halifax is the hotbed of the wheelchair game for players of all ages it seems, with the newest English star also coming from the town. Finlay O’Neill was an able-bodied player in the running game as a youngster, but he was ultimately diagnosed with hyper mobility in his knees and shallow kneecaps. That put an end to his time in one discipline, but gave birth to the rise in another.

O’Neill is the really the one story that is especially notable here – as he was inspired to play wheelchair rugby league when he watched the England team go all the way four years ago. It was hoped that would inspire a new generation of talent – and O’Neill is the prime example of that.

He is now a star for Halifax, the chief playmaker of the Panthers and at the age of just 21, a potential superstar of the sport for years to come. This year, there will be youngsters facing up to a potential inability to play running rugby league anymore like O’Neill was in 2022; he now serves as the inspiration for the next generation.