England rout Australia 86-18 but say they are not yet at their best

England beat Australia 86-18 in Tuesday's Wheelchair Rugby League World Cup semi-final in Wollongong, Australia, but several players insisted the side had not hit peak performance. Despite the margin of victory, members of the England camp said there were still areas to improve ahead of the final.

Rob Hawkins scored five tries and added five conversions to finish with 30 points as England crossed for 15 tries in the semi-final, setting up a fifth successive World Cup final for the side and a fourth consecutive meeting with France. England are aiming to defend the title they won 28-24 in Manchester four years ago; previous finals between the two have been close affairs, France prevailing 42-40 in Gillingham in 2013 and 38-34 in Perpignan in 2017.

Hawkins described some of his finishes as instinctive after a long-range punt resulted in his third try, when he chased the kick, clutched the ball millimetres from the dead-ball line and grounded it under pressure from Adam Tannock. He laughed when asked whether he had been practising dives and said: "It's just off-the-cuff stuff when needed," adding, "Some of the kicks were cautious!"

Kicker Nathan Collins, who sat alongside Hawkins, praised his team-mate's ability to convert loose moments into scores, saying: "He makes my bad kicks look good!" Collins urged England to replicate and build on their performance against Australia, saying: "We've got to do what we did today, stick to the process Tom [Coyd, the England coach] has put in front of us," and, "It looks like a good game, but there is still plenty to do. "We are used to big games, league titles and Challenge Cups. This is a step up from that, so we go again."

Collins outlined his personal journey into wheelchair rugby league, saying he was born with dwarfism, played running rugby as a child before being told he was too small and then moved into the wheelchair sport, making his England debut aged 16. Now 26, Collins — one of five squad members who played in the 2022 World Cup final — is preparing for his third World Cup final, having won one and lost one, and reflected: "It has given me a lease of life," adding, "At 16 I was straight in at the deep end, I couldn't think about it, just had to do it. Not many people get those chances at 16. I have grown with the game, I feel like I have gone on the level up with it. "I'm proud of what we have achieved, on and off the pitch. It would mean a lot to bring that trophy home again. "Looking in the corner of the stadium and seeing the wall of white [shirted England fans], it was amazing, hopefully we will see that again on Friday."

The squad also addressed past controversy around match officials after scenes involving French referee Laurent Abrial in 2022; Abrial was suspended until January this year after he was found to have "brought the game into disrepute through unacceptable behaviour" and an International Rugby League misconduct committee concluded he made "obscene gestures that could have incited the crowd." Abrial was the defence referee in that final and, the report said, protested by gesticulating wildly after having a decision overruled by attack referee Ollie Cruickshank. Hawkins said of officiating at the tournament: "The referees will make a decision on the day, we are just there to play the game," and added, "Our win overshadowed the decisions made. The officiating at this World Cup has been superb."

England will meet France in the final at the WIN Entertainment Centre on Friday, with kick-off scheduled for 08:45 GMT.