When Rob Hawkins replied to what he thought was an advert to play wheelchair basketball more than a decade ago he could not have imagined he would be a key part of an England side defending their Rugby League World Cup title.

While the men’s and women’s teams have already returned home, England face Australia in Wollongong on Tuesday (08:45 GMT) in the semi-finals of the Wheelchair competition, aiming to take another step towards becoming the first nation to lift the trophy on three occasions.

However, 25-year-old Hawkins, who was a big presence in the side to triumph in Manchester four years ago, has also had to overcome the odds – and a battle with chronic fatigue syndrome – to become one of the stars of the international game.

The England and Halifax Panthers wing only took up rugby league in 2014 after being bedbound for 18 months, and following a quirk of fate.

“Before my condition I was very sporting and athletic. I’d been doing running, football, started getting into other sports like rugby league and so I wanted to try and find something that interested me,” Hawkins told BBC Sport.

“I saw something on television about wheelchair basketball so we tried looking for our local club, and what we thought was Halifax wheelchair basketball. When we went to a session it turned out it was wheelchair rugby league instead.

“I thought I’d give it a try and see what I thought. I jumped into a chair for about 20 minutes before my body probably wouldn’t let me continue any more and I just kept wanting to go back and get better. It was definitely an interesting turn of events but I don’t regret any minute of staying in the sport.

“When I found out that I could play internationally it kind of drove my competitiveness back out that I didn’t have since before the condition.”

Hawkins won the coveted IRL Golden Boot Award in 2024 and 2025 after being voted the International Wheelchair Player of the Year.

He is also Super League’s reigning Wheels of Steel winner, given to the best player in the competition.

Yet it did not always come so easy. His condition previously meant that he had to use walking frames or rely on family members just to get to the toilet, and he also missed two years of learning at high school.

“There are still times where I just need that extra rest,” he added.

“There are days where I still go down and I do just rest all day long. The thing that I’ve just learned over the years is effectively just trying to pace myself as much as I can.

“It feels weird to say – I’m happy I’ve had this condition because it’s taught me and seemed to show me a different aspect of life where I’ve actually connected with people that I might not have done previously.”



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