England defeat Ireland 68-32 to finish top of Pool A at Wheelchair Rugby League World Cup

England beat Ireland 68-32 at the Wollongong Entertainment Arena on Friday to secure top spot in Pool A and progress to the semi-finals of the Wheelchair Rugby League World Cup.

Lewis King told Premier Sports: "We knew it was going to be a challenge and our biggest in the tournament so far but that is why we are here. We love these high-pressure games."

Joe Coyd scored four tries and Rob Hawkins three, with the pair accounting for seven of England's 12 tries; Mason Billington and Lewis King each crossed twice and Jack Brown added the remaining score for the reigning champions.

Ireland led 14-0 and 20-4 in the first half before England recovered to take a 22-20 advantage into the break, and the visitors added 40 unanswered points after the interval before Ireland crossed again.

"Massive respect to Ireland. They came out strong and we had to ride the wave of penalties. Eventually we got through it. It was a great game," King told Premier Sports.

"We will concentrate on us. We won't be particularly pleased with our performance today. Our standards are higher," he added. "We topped the group and that was the first aim. We have done that and we'll take that momentum into next week."

In a repeat of their last-four meeting from four years ago, France pulled clear of the Wheelaroos after a tight opening 40 minutes to win 69-34, leaving them top of their group.

The runners-up in 2022 and twice winners of the competition will take on Ireland on Tuesday (06:15 GMT) looking to book a place in their fourth consecutive final.

Earlier on Friday Calum Davidson scored four tries as Scotland defeated New Zealand 62-18 to record their first-ever win at a Wheelchair World Cup. "We knew it was there but we tried to not make it a big thing," he said. "The fact we have done it is amazing. "It is just going to keep getting better and better for us."

Wales beat the USA 92-18, with John Berriman scoring four tries and Fionn McCabe and Jonathan Gill both grabbing hat-tricks to boost confidence prior to the play-off matches for positions five to eight.

England will face co-hosts Australia in the last four on Tuesday (08:45 GMT), while France meet Ireland at 06:15 GMT for a place in the final. Wales and the USA move into play-off matches for positions five to eight.