Coyd family one step from England Wheelchair World Cup glory

England Wheelchair men face France in the Rugby League World Cup Final from Wollongong on Friday, with head coach Tom Coyd and brother Joe leading the charge to second successive title; England beat Australia 86-18 in semi-final

A second successive World Cup win would take England Wheelchair men's side to unparalleled heights in Rugby League - but for Tom and Joe Coyd, the matter of the final is still very much a family affair.

Already a World Cup winning coach, Tom has been in charge of England for six years, with younger brother and star winger Joe scoring 12 tries on the way to their last national team success at 2022's tournament.

The task of securing a second world title in a row - something only Friday's opponents, France, have managed - is already a tall task, but Tom has battled with what he feels is an even tougher challenge throughout the tournament.

"[Coaching my brother] is the hardest thing I've ever done from a work perspective," Tom said. "But it's also the most rewarding.

"There are times when you have to give him a bit of a telling off.

"It's taught me loads about how to be a good brother and loads about how to be a good coach - hopefully, Joe agrees. But yeah, it is an interesting dynamic.

"I think there's a reason it doesn't happen very often because it can be really difficult. But, you know, in our quirky ways, Joe and I find a way to make it function. And I think it elevates the connection in the team."

"I've been lucky enough to do this for a while and it's such a special occasion and privilege every time.

"But having my brother and my dad alongside me sort of just sort of nudges it on a bit further.

"I know I'm in a very lucky and privileged place to be able to do the things that we get to do alongside my family."

The brothers are not the only two family members involved in the England World Cup setup.

Martin Coyd OBE is the general manager of the Wheelchair side, and, according to his sons, isn't afraid of getting stuck in with preparation himself.

"He's in camp with us. He's been busy fulfilling his responsibilities as a RFL board member, but he's been doing that alongside, you know, getting oily and repairing wheelchair parts and getting his hands dirty.

"He's been in the thick of it and he wouldn't have it any other way. It's been a joy to have this experience with him and with Joe and with all of us.

"As someone who's been at the head of the team for over a decade, he sort of sets the standard and drives the culture. He does a good job for us."

England scored a record points total against rival Australia to rout their opponents 86-18 in the semi-final, but the task will be somewhat different against France.

Despite Coyd's side recording a thrilling 28-24 victory against Les Blues in the last World Cup final, their opponents have won two of the last three matches between the two sides since, with France retaining the Fassolette-Kielty trophy with a thrilling 32-28 win in the latest edition of the rivalry in November 2024.

Two years on, Coyd knows his opponents will be ready for World Cup revenge.

"Yeah, absolutely. I do [think it'll be a game of fine margins]," Tom said.

"That's World Cup and Test match football, isn't it - and France have been, you know, one of the leaders of the game internationally since it began.

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"It's knockout sport, isn't it? Anything can happen on the day. So it's hugely important that we kind of ride those waves of expectation and get our framing right. I think your reality is the story you tell yourselves.

"When you're a team and you spend so much time together, controlling that narrative as a collective is super important. "So when the guys push out on Friday, I don't expect that they'll feel the weight of expectation.

"I expect them to feel confident knowing that they've kind of earned the right to be a fancied team.

"But France have that right, too. They've also been a high performing international outfit in the last four years and have beaten us in the last four years.

"So that's what makes it such an exciting contest on Friday."