Rugby League Cares will be right behind the England Wheelchair team as they aim to retain their World Cup title in Wollongong on Friday - having played a small part in the behind the scenes preparations for the tournament.
RL Cares have supported England Wheelchair as they have worked closely with Vulcan, the Bridgend-based specialists in high-performance sports wheelchairs, throughout the build-up to the 2026 Rugby League World Cup.
The whole National Performance Squad travelled to Wales in the summer of 2025, and Vulcan have worked with each player to fine tune and customise their chairs ahead of flying to Australia last month – with three of the Vulcan team attending England’s last training camp at the FA’s St George’s Park National Football Centre to ensure the chairs were in the best possible condition for the tournament.
So far, those meticulous preparations have paid off, with England finishing top of their group and then producing their best performance so far to beat Australia in Tuesday’s semi final – setting them up for a rematch with old rivals France in a repeat of the dramatic 2022 Final in Manchester.
Chris Rostron, the RL Cares Chief Executive, said:
“The development of Wheelchair Rugby League has been one of the great success stories of the sport over recent times.
“England’s triumph in the last World Cup lifted the sport to a new level, and they have maintained those levels of professionalism and performance in the four-year build-up to heading to Australia to defend their title.
“Given the significant increases in participation in Wheelchair Rugby League since 2022, and the importance of inclusivity for the sport, our trustees agreed to provide support to the squad in their work with Vulcan to ensure they are in the best possible chairs for the tournament.
“We couldn’t provide this support without the consistent generosity of our Rugby League Cares members – and having had the privilege of presenting the England players with their shirts before their group match against the USA, I know the squad are grateful for that.”
Photo - England captain and RL Cares ambassador Lewis King celebrates with Nathan Collins after Tuesday's semi final win against Australia - in their bespoke Vulcan wheelchairs