England defeated the USA 134-0 in a 2026 Wheelchair Rugby World Cup match, scoring 23 tries. The game was played at the Wollongong Entertainment Arena in New South Wales, and the victory secured England a place in the tournament semi-finals.
England secured their passage to the last four even before their final group match. Captain Mason Billington rated his team's performance at least seven out of ten. Billington was also among the scorers, registering four tries, the same number as Chris Haynes and Luis Domingos.
Domingos scored four tries on his tournament debut. The former Portuguese basketball international changed sport and country, and now plays for Sheffield Eagles and England. A total of eight different players scored, while Finlay O'Neill was named man of the match thanks to 38 points, accumulated through two tries and 15 conversions.
A week ago, Rob Hawkins stated that England were not playing to their standards in their opening 98-18 victory over Wales, which he rated five out of ten. The new performance against the USA therefore represents significant progress compared to that match.
England will play France or Australia in the semi-finals next week. The four semi-finalists are now known, and Ireland will qualify from Group A alongside England. Ireland beat Wales 68-28 and are third in the world rankings, and they meet England in the final group match on Friday in Wollongong at 06:00 GMT.
France and Australia also secured progression, both achieving double-digit scores. France, the two-time champions and finalists who lost to England in 2022, beat New Zealand 120-10, while Australia were better than Scotland 104-24. Australia and France play each other on Friday to decide the group winner.
Scotland, New Zealand, Wales and the USA go into the competition for places five to eight. Wales will play the USA on Friday in Group A, while Scotland meet New Zealand.
