BBC to broadcast England v France Wheelchair Rugby League World Cup final
The BBC will show live and free-to-air on BBC iPlayer the Wheelchair Rugby League World Cup final between England and France in Wollongong, Australia on Friday, 13 November, kick-off 08:45 GMT. Fans can also follow live text coverage via the BBC Sport website and app.
England enter the final as the holders after their 28-24 victory over France in Manchester in November 2022, secured by a late Tom Halliwell try. The two sides have met in the past three World Cup finals, with France winning 42-40 in Gillingham in 2013 and 38-34 in Perpignan in 2017. England reached Friday's match following an 86-18 semi-final win over Australia on Tuesday in which Joe Coyd contributed to the victory.
England head coach Tom Coyd said: "To be flying the flag for England at this late stage of the Rugby League World Cup is an honour for us and we hope we can keep doing the country proud on Friday." Alex Kay-Jelski, director of BBC Sport, added: "Sport is at its very best when it gives audiences moments they can share, and an England team playing in a World Cup final is exactly that. "Bringing audiences the biggest homegrown sporting moments is at the heart of BBC Sport, and we're proud to bring rugby fans England's final with France for the world title on BBC iPlayer and the BBC Sport website and app."
Alongside the iPlayer stream, BBC Sport will provide live text coverage of the wheelchair final on its website and app. BBC Radio 5 Live will carry live coverage of the men's and women's finals on Sunday as the tournament concludes in Brisbane, with Australia and New Zealand going head-to-head in both matches. The BBC Sport website and app will also offer live text for those Sunday finals and post-match digital clip highlights later on Sunday.
Wheelchair rugby league was developed in France and is fully inclusive, allowing disabled and non-disabled players to play on the same team. Matches are played with teams of five who have six tackles to score; tackles on the ball carrier are made by removing a tag attached to each player's shirt.
Scoring and timing follow specific wheelchair rugby league rules: a try is worth four points, penalties and conversions are worth two points, with conversions taken by punching the ball off a tee over the posts; the game uses an oval ball, lasts 80 minutes, and permits a maximum of two non-disabled and three disabled players on the field at any one time.
Wheelchair rugby, which is played at the Paralympics, differs from wheelchair rugby league: it features a round ball and teams of four, has no conversions, and no tackling is allowed (but it is a full-contact sport, allowing collisions between players): Teams instead must dribble or pass the ball every 10 seconds.
The Wheelchair Rugby League World Cup final will be played on Friday, 13 November at 08:45 GMT and will be available live on BBC iPlayer, with live text coverage on the BBC Sport website and app.