THE Great Britain tag rugby league wheelchair team will take on their French counterparts in a highly anticipated clash on Friday 24 August at the University of Westminster starting at 6.30pm.

The spectacle forms part of what will be a tremendous Rugby League weekend.

As well as the Carnegie Champion Schools finals at RAF Uxbridge on Friday, Saturday will see the Final of the Carnegie Challenge Cup back at Wembley for the first time since 1999.

On Sunday teams from around the world will gather for the Middlesex Nines.

Malcolm Kielty, Wheelchair Rugby League development officer, said: "Wheelchair rugby league is a magnificent sport - it passes on generic skills such as fitness, movement and handling that can be used across other wheelchair activities.

"The game is a development of the running tag game which promotes the speed of the sports wheelchairs as well as the handling and evasion skills. Collisions are inevitable as both sides play the full 80 minutes at high speed using the running game's attacking principles.

"The UK guys have worked really hard over the last 12 months after they toured France on a four match visit in an aim to catch up to the French development.

"It should be a really exciting contest as both able bodied and disabled sport people integrate well in intense competition, so while rugby fans are down in the capital for the weekend they should come and support their national side."

The game was created in France by Robert Fassolette and Wally Salvan at Rugby Vichy XIII in 2004.

This version is unique within wheelchair sports because it is faithful to the rules of rugby league.

Five players in each team score tries in exactly the same way as they would in rugby league.

Wheelchair tag rugby league is among the most inclusive of sports, allowing both disabled and non-disabled opponents to take part.

All players use a wheelchair and are tackled by the removal of a "tag" attached by Velcro to the player's shoulder.

"Rugby League without Boundaries" is issuing an open invite to anyone who may be in London for the Carnegie Challenge Cup Final to go along and give their support.

The venue for the Test is The University of Westminster, Harrow Hall, Watford Road, Harrow. The campus is just 10 minutes from central London by car, has great bus and train links and there's a tube station very close by.

The event begins at 5.30pm and includes a demonstration as a curtain raiser, with the Test match scheduled to start at 6.30pm.

For further information on Wheelchair rugby contact Malcolm Kielty at malcolm.kielty@virgin.net