King To Captain England For Wheelchair Ashes

World Cup victor Lewis King will skipper England erstwhile they recreation to Australia for nan wheelchair rugby convention Ashes bid successful October.

London Roosters' King, 40, takes connected nan domiciled pinch regular skipper Tom Halliwell ruled retired of nan circuit pinch a enarthrosis injury.

Halifax Panthers subordinate Jack Brown, who spent 4 years coaching successful Australia, has been named vice-captain.

King, from Kent, was near partially paralysed successful 2009, aged 24, aft being diagnosed pinch a humor clot connected his spine, which required a 21-hour emergency operation.

He began playing wheelchair rugby convention successful 2016 pinch Dartford-based nine Argonauts, and soon collapsed into nan England squad.

"Wheelchair rugby convention is simply a typical athletics and nan England squad are a typical group, truthful being appointed arsenic skipper is conscionable unthinkable - particularly for a bloke from Dartford who wouldn't person known thing astir rugby convention increasing up," he said.

King scored nan 3rd of England's 5 tries - pinch Brown getting 2 - when they hit France dramatically 28-24 astatine Manchester Central to triumph nan Wheelchair Rugby League World Cup successful November 2022.

England caput coach Tom Coyd said: "To show Lewis King that he will skipper his state was an immense privilege for me.

"The travel he has been connected since suffering a life-changing wounded 16 years agone is inspirational."

Brown, a non-disabled player, first took up wheelchair hoops and past wheelchair rugby convention to stock a athletics connected an adjacent level with his younger relative Harry, who mislaid some legs to meningitis arsenic a baby.

Wheelchair rugby league's world laws let 2 of a team's 5 players connected nan tribunal to beryllium non-disabled.

England will look Australia connected 30 October and 2 November, pinch some matches connected nan Gold Coast.

They will lukewarm up pinch 2 matches against authorities sides - New South Wales successful Sydney connected 24 October and Queensland connected nan Sunshine Coast connected 27 October.

Coyd named his 10-player squad for nan circuit connected 7 August, including uncapped brace Luis Domingos, of Castleford Tigers, and Finlay O'Neill, of Halifax.

England squad: Seb Bechara (Catalans Dragons), Mason Billington (London Roosters), Wayne Boardman (Halifax Panthers), Jack Brown (Halifax Panthers, vice-capt), Nathan Collins (Leeds Rhinos), Joe Coyd (London Roosters), Luis Domingos (Castleford Tigers), Rob Hawkins (Halifax Panthers), Lewis King (London Roosters, capt), Finlay O'Neill (Halifax Panthers)