BBC to show England’s Wheelchair Rugby League World Cup final on TV
England celebrate their 2021 Wheelchair Rugby League World Cup triumph
Friday’s Wheelchair Rugby League World Cup final between England and France (8.45am GMT KO) will be shown live on BBC iPlayer.
The BBC, who were the free-to-air broadcast partner for the previous instalment of the World Cup on home soil in 2022, did not bid for any television rights for this edition: a decision which came with plenty of backlash from pundits and supporters alike.
Subscription-based Irish outlet Premier Sports instead claimed the rights as the sole bidder, with supporters having to fork out at least an additional £18.99 to watch the showpiece international competition.
On the eve of the tournament starting, it was announced that the BBC would instead provide radio commentaries of select matches throughout this autumn: alongside producing highlights packages for iPlayer.
England’s men’s and women’s teams both failed to progress beyond the group stage, but the wheelchair side are defending champions: and having made the final, will now be live on BBC iPlayer as they attempt to retain their crown.
BBC to show England’s Wheelchair Rugby League World Cup final
As was the case four years ago, Tom Coyd’s side go up against France in the Wheelchair Rugby League World Cup final, which gets underway at 8.45am (GMT) on Friday morning.
All wheelchair matches in this tournament have taken place at the WIN Entertainment Centre in Wollongong, with England having topped Group A and France having topped Group B: with both winning all three group games.
France then thumped Ireland 82-26 at the semi-final stage as England swept past Australia courtesy of an 86-18 victory, setting up a rematch of the 2022 showpiece in Friday morning’s final.
Perhaps unsurprisingly, this will be the fourth consecutive final between England and France, who have two World Cup wins apiece to their name.
England beat Australia in 2008 – with that the first-ever instalment of the Wheelchair Rugby League World Cup – and then France in 2022 for their two triumphs, while in-between, France won back-to-back finals against England in 2013 and 2017.
The BBC will hope Friday’s final brings as much drama as the one four years ago, won 28-24 by England on home soil in Manchester.
