SHAUN BRISCOE said it was “a privilege” to lead England to victory in the first Physical Disability World Cup.
England enjoyed a perfect tournament in Warrington, beating all three other competitors Australia, Wales and New Zealand in the group stages at Victoria Park before defeating New Zealand again in the final, 42-10 at the Halliwell Jones Stadium last Sunday evening (see report page 25).
Captain Scott Gobin and Sam Zeller each scored two tries in the final, while Nick Leigh, Tommy Pouncey, Adam Fleming and Nick Kennedy also crossed.
Coaching the team was former England men’s international fullback Briscoe, who took on the role when the Lions were formed in 2020, ten years after Physical Disability Rugby League (PDRL) was founded in Australia.
“It’s been a privilege and an honour to work with these guys,” said former Wigan, Hull FC, Hull KR and Widnes star Briscoe.
“They really deserve it with the effort they’ve put in.
“I’m immensely proud to be part of it. It’s been a fantastic journey from day one when we first met in this stadium (HJ) and spoke about bringing it over to the UK. I’ve been privileged to be part of it.”
Briscoe is uncertain about his coaching future but said he would “love to carry on in this job”, having been closely involved in PDRL’s rapid development in England since its introduction in 2018.
There are now eight clubs across the north of England and the game was in the spotlight during the World Cup with all seven matches streamed live by the BBC.
That gave a memorable platform for players like Wakefield Trinity’s Callum Parkinson, who was player of the match in the final.
“I used to play rugby when I was young, then I had a head injury so I was unable to play rugby,” said Parkinson.
“I played football but then I heard about PDRL. I came and loved playing it. I thought it would be easy at the start but it’s very hard!”
