Captain Jayson Hooker (centre) and the Wheel Kiwis are being included in next year's Wheelchair Rugby League World Cup. Photo / Photosport
The Wheel Kiwis are hoping their inclusion at next year’s Wheelchair Rugby League World Cup will bring more eyes to one of the most inclusive and diverse sports there is.
The team are fairly new, having played their first match just 13 months ago against Australia’s Wheelaroos, but New Zealand Rugby League (NZRL) boss Greg Peters has ambitious ideas for the sport, which has surged in popularity since the last World Cup in 2022.
That was because more people were watching the sport as it ran alongside the men’s and women’s tournaments for the first time in England, forcing the International Rugby League to do the same for next year’s tournament in Australia.
But the uniqueness of the sport is also captivating. It pits disabled and non-disabled, male and female, on the same teams, while it’s an adaptation of the running game with many of the same rules, where tackles are made by removing tags from the opponents’ shoulders, and play-the-balls involve tapping it on the ground.
Each game is made up of two 40-minute halves and generally played on a 46m x 20m court, with five players on each team and tries – worth four points – are scored by grounding a smaller version of a league ball in the opponent’s goal area. There are no forward passes and plenty of hard hits at lightning speed, while kicks are performed with an AFL-style pass.
Out of the five players on the court at any given time, two can be non-disabled.
In terms of a sport, it’s relatively young, having been devised in 2000 in France, but after seeing the success of the last World Cup, Peters knew it was time New Zealand got involved.
“I think we saw how it exploded on to the scene, really, and now it’s a full-blown World Cup alongside men’s and women’s,” Peters told the Herald.
“We knew we needed to be part of that because, as a high-capability rugby league nation, we should be fielding a team in all World Cups that are available for us to do so.
“The game is unique in that you can have able-bodied people playing with disabled people on the same court, which makes it fully inclusive, plus the physicality and the nature of it ... [makes it] a great entertainment spectacle too.”
New Zealand’s participation in the wheelchair sport was 16 years in the making, after plans for them to participate in the inaugural 2008 tournament fell through.
But after seeing the World Cup, the Warriors Community Foundation joined forces with the NZRL, Auckland Rugby League, Counties Manukau Rugby League and Disability Sport Auckland for a have-a-go day, and the wheels in motion have been in place since.
That led to the creation of the Wheel Kiwis, and Edie George was tasked with coaching the squad, after initially just reaching out to offer a helping hand.
George has been involved in the sport since 2013, which began while working at a rehab centre in Sydney. He began playing before moving up the ranks, eventually, serving as an assistant for Australia at the last World Cup.
It was a tough start at the beginning, with George having to teach the basics to all the players, because most of the squad had never played the sport before.
They took to the court for the first time on November 1, 2024, on Auckland’s North Shore, going down 98-4 to the Wheelaroos and again 110-8 days later.
But 12 months later, they’ve progressed in leaps and bounds – the team won three of their six matches at the NRL’s Wheelchair championship against Australian states.
George said he’s grateful for the opportunities the sport has given him.
“I never thought I’d be in this position, ever,” George said. “Once I started coaching, I fell in love, and it’s a huge honour to be able to coach a team into the World Cup.
“I’ll be proud of it for the rest of my life, and [it’s] something that I’ll always cherish and appreciate.
“We want to grow the participation at grassroots level in New Zealand, and to be competitive as we can in the World Cup.”
George said he’s always blown away by the skills of the players involved.
“In rugby league, when you take a hit-up, you’re running, focusing on catching the ball and hitting the gap,” George said. “In wheelchair rugby league, it’s completely different.
“You’re pushing with your arms, the ball’s coming toward you, and you have to let go of the chair, manoeuvre it as you catch the ball, then secure it in your lap and keep pushing all while avoiding contact.
“We’re starting to showcase that despite the sport being played in a wheelchair, you can still showcase talents of rugby league skills.
“These are athletes, and they should be treated as athletes as well. So, by having men’s, women’s, wheelchair all together, that’s, you know, will be a huge boost for the game.”
Plans are in place to stage an open tournament in New Zealand next year for anybody who wants to try the sport, and possibly put their hand up for future representation of the Wheel Kiwis.
Peters admits they are in the early stages of developing the sport in New Zealand, but says they are on the right track for future success.
He’s ambitious about where he would love to see the sport in five years with the hope of having a domestic league across New Zealand, aligned with local clubs.
Countries like England and France have already established domestic competitions, with some Super League clubs entering their own sides, players earning MBEs for their services to the sport, and thousands of fans turning out to watch.
But there is one goal Peters would love to tick off.
“I’d love to sell out Spark Arena for a wheelchair rugby league spectacle,” Peters said.
“I think it’s just an amazing entertainment sport, and it has the ability to wrap other things around it, like music, and make it a real entertainment spectacle.
“I’d encourage anyone that hasn’t seen it, have a look on YouTube and see what it’s like, because it’s an amazing sport.
“We want the sport to be as accessible to as many people as possible, and adding the Wheel Kiwis to the teams that represent New Zealand overseas and at World Cups and internationally is a really important part of that.”
New Zealand have been drawn in Pool B, alongside Australia, France and Scotland for the World Cup, with all matches taking place in Wollongong.
Ben Francis is an Auckland-based reporter for the New Zealand Herald who covers breaking sports news.