At the start of this year, Mason Billington had never played a game of wheelchair rugby league in his life. Now he’s an England international.
“HE’LL be absolutely frightening in two years’ time if he keeps going the way he’s going.”
As England begin to plot their World Cup defence in 2026, they may have just found a new top weapon.
That was the verdict of national coach Tom Coyd on Mason Billington, who made his England debut in last month’s triumph over France.
Billington scored two tries after coming off the bench during the second half in Wigan, helping to seal a record 66-33 win over their arch-rivals.
It completed a truly remarkable year for the 29-year-old from Essex – at the beginning of 2024, he had never played a game of wheelchair rugby league in his life.
Billington played rugby union growing up, but broke his back in 2016 following a serious accident at work and was left paralysed from the waist down.
He tried out wheelchair racing, then discovered wheelchair basketball and played that for five years, before a friend suggested giving the oval ball another go.
“Literally eight months ago I tried wheelchair rugby league for the first time,” said Billington.
“A local team in Essex called Brentwood Eels started up, and from there my career just exploded really.”
He quickly caught the eye of the region’s Super League club, London Roosters, and joined them ahead of the start of this season.
Under Coyd, who coaches both London and England, Billington established himself in the side quickly, playing alongside international stars in Lewis King and Joe Coyd.
And while it wasn’t the greatest of seasons for the Roosters, winning only three of nine league games, Billington’s rise was a standout story.
Usually newcomers to wheelchair rugby league either have the chair skills, after moving from a similar sport, but not the rugby skills, or they have the rugby skills but not the chair skills, say a former running player who now has a disability.
Billington had the advantage of starting out with both, and it allowed him to enjoy a meteoric rise.
“I had really good chair skills from wheelchair basketball, and that translated over to wheelchair rugby league really well,” he said.
“I also have a background in rugby union, I played for ten years so I was used to a rugby ball. Putting my chair skills and rugby skills together, I literally feel like I was made for this sport. I’ve loved every second of it.”
Billington was called up to England’s national performance squad – a group, currently 16-strong, who train monthly – in July and coach Coyd said: “He’s been an incredibly fast learner.
“He’s the fastest to ever be selected in a national performance squad from playing their first game. He was in our squad before he played five league games.”
It’s not just his skills which have made him stand out, however, as Coyd made clear after his contribution to England’s victory over France.
“(England men’s coach) Shaun Wane came to speak to the team last night. He said the three most important attributes to be a great player are a thirst for learning, a competitive spirit and being a good bloke. Mason is nine-and-a-half out of ten in all those three areas, so he deserves it.
“I know that seems silly to say because he’s not been working at it that long, but good things come to good people.”
Billington took his two tries well on debut after coming on down the right wing, but was equally disappointed to have let in a couple of France scores too.
In a group packed with world-class players, including several who didn’t make the team, he knows he needs to hit the highest standards.
“The two tries were good, but the two I let in at the corner I’m not happy about, so there’s plenty to work on,” he said.
“When I’m around people that drive the standards so high, I need to be self-critical, otherwise I won’t be a part of it.
“But it’s the best place to learn. These are the best players in the world and the best coaches in the world. I’m so grateful for the opportunity to be here.
“I’ve been shocked by the professionalism of it all to be honest. For a wheelchair sport especially, it feels professional, or what I imagine professional sport to be like, with the amount of people working hard behind the scenes.”
Billington admitted that his international debut was “a bit overwhelming to start with”, but it’s a stage he wants to be comfortable on and perform at for a long time to come.
He has retained his place for the return match against France in Saint-Lo, Normandy, and the countdown to the next World Cup, again a three-in-one event in 2026 hosted by Australia, is on too with England looking to retain the crown that they won in such memorable fashion at home in 2022.
Billington said: “I just want to keep getting better and better, and keep working hard. Hopefully I can get to the next World Cup. That’s my goal now.”
After such a rapid rise so far, you would give him every chance of having a big part to play in England’s future.
First published in Rugby League World magazine, Issue 503 (December 2024)
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