England captain Tom Halliwell stole the show as Leeds Rhinos retained their Betfred Wheelchair Challenge Cup title on Sunday.
Halliwell become just the second player after the Rhinos’ own Tom Briscoe to bag five tries in a Challenge Cup Final as his side cruised to a convincing 60-28 victory over Kent-based The Argonauts at EIS Sheffield.
It means the coveted trophy returns home to Leeds, where it has been housed ever since the Rhinos won the previous final back in 2019.
The Rhinos, who currently top the pile in the Wheelchair Super League, scored 10 tries which were all converted by Nathan Collins and looked in full control of the contest throughout, despite a spirited second-half effort from The Argonauts.
Both James Simpson and Jodie Boyd-Ward bagged a brace, whilst Josh Butler rounded off the scoring with a try of his own in the final moments of the contest.
For Halliwell, who unsurprisingly picked up the Player of the Match award, this victory meant even more than the one two years previously, such has been the impact of COVID-19 on the wheelchair game.
“We wanted this one for a while,” Halliwell told BBC Sport.
“It was a trophy which eluded us for so long and now we have gone back-to-back. This is an emotional one, just because of the year we had off with coronavirus and lockdown.”
Having played together as a team since the age of 16, the side continue to act as an aspiration for young players chasing their rugby league dreams and are a shining example of the work done by Leeds Rhinos Foundation to provide a pathway in all formats of the game.
For more information about Leeds Rhinos Wheelchair Rugby League, please contact Team Manager Andy Gardner on andyg@spider-y.org.uk.
Follow the side on Twitter- @LeedsRhinosWSC– for all the latest news, scores and updates.
