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.
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%.
In March 2024, wheelchair rugby league's first ever varsity fixture was played between Brunel University London and St Mary's University, Twickenham.[14]
There are only nine countries with national wheelchair rugby league teams registered with the International Rugby League.
The game shares many features with the regular rugby league:[15]
The game then sees its own particular rules:
See main article: Wheelchair Rugby League 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.[18] Also, in a world first, all matches were broadcast by the BBC.
| Year | Host nation(s) | Teams | Final result | |||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| width=20% | Winner | width=12% | Score | width=20% | Runner-up | |
| 2008 | Sydney, Australia | 4 | England | 44–12 |  Australia | |
| 2013[19] | Gillingham, England | 6 |  France | 42–40[20] | ||
| 2017 | France | 7 | France | 38–34 | ||
| 2021 | England | 8 | England | 28–24[21] | ||
See main article: Wheelchair Rugby League 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.
| Year | Host nation(s) | Teams | Final result | |||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| width=20% | Winner | width=12% | Score | width=20% | Runner-up | |
| 2015 | Gillingham, England | 5 | England | 28–24 | France | |
See main article: Celtic Cup (wheelchair rugby league). The Celtic Cup has been held annually since 2015 and features the three Celtic nations of the British Isles – Ireland, Scotland, and Wales.
See main article: Fassolette-Kielty Trophy. The Fassolette-Kielty Trophy is a challenge competition between England and France, and is played for during all non-tournament tests.
France: 6The 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:[26]
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:
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.