WARRINGTON hosts a ground-breaking moment for the ever-growing sport of Physical Disability Rugby League (PDRL) today.
Victoria Park takes centre stage as the town hosts the entirety of the inaugural PDRL World Cup, with four nations vying for the right to call themselves world champions.
Here is everything you need to know about the tournament…
What is PDRL?
PDRL is a full contact version of the game, adapted for participants with a physical disability who want to access a running version of rugby league.
The game was initially developed in Australia, arriving in England in 2018 when Warrington Wolves and Leeds Rhinos played the first ever game of PDRL in the northern hemisphere. Governance of PDRL is in line with Paralympic sport and international disability competition.
The game includes full contact tackles, though players who have a disability that restricts them from playing full contact safely are permitted to play Touch RL tackle rules and are identifiable by their red shorts.
Which nations are competing in PDRL World Cup?
England and Wales fly the flag for the home nations, with the England Community Lions squad containing four players from Warrington Wolves’ successful PDRL side.
Mike Addison, Jamie Barnett, Tony Seward and Adam Morris are part of the England squad who will be facing a very familiar face in their opening fixture this afternoon.
Comedian and PDRL pioneer Adam Hills is also a member of the Wire squad but will represent his home country of Australia in the tournament.
England and Australia collide in today’s headline act at Victoria Park, with the tournament kicking off with New Zealand vs Wales.
How is the PDRL World Cup set up?
The four teams will play each other once in a round-robin format, with Victoria Park hosting all group-stage games.
The top two teams will compete in the final at The Halliwell Jones Stadium on Sunday, October 30, after the Rugby League World Cup men’s group stage clash between Samoa and France.
🏆 History will be made this Sunday when the first ever PDRL World Cup gets underway at Victoria Park
— Warrington Wolves (@WarringtonRLFC) October 20, 2022
Good luck to all the teams including our Wire lads representing their national sides! pic.twitter.com/cZV6MPl0Yn
How can I watch the PDRL World Cup?
If you’d like to watch the games in person, entry to all games at Victoria Park is free of charge.
The BBC will be streaming all the games live, with all games before the final also being streamed on the RLWC2021 (OurLeague) app.
PDRL World Cup full fixtures:
(All games at Victoria Park unless stated)
Sunday, October 23
2pm – New Zealand vs Wales
4.30pm – England Community Lions vs Australia
Tuesday, October 25
2pm – Wales vs England Community Lions
4.30pm – Australia vs New Zealand
Friday, October 28
4.30pm – England Community Lions vs New Zealand
7pm – Australia vs Wales
Sunday 30 October
2pm – Third-place play-off
7pm – Final (Halliwell Jones Stadium, following Samoa vs France RLWC men’s fixture)
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