BY JOHN DAVIDSON
England Wheelchair rugby league coach Tom Coyd says the rivalry with France is not just between two competitive teams on the court but one of opposing ideologies for the future direction of the sport.
England defeated France in the World Cup final last year in Manchester.
After the game French officials complained about England’s use of able-bodied players and the rise of violent collisions.
France coach Sylvain Crismanovich said at the time: “The sport went more for the show rather than safety of the players. We need to look again at the rules but a decision has been made to prioritise the show rather than the athletes involved.”
The two nations meet for the first time since that historic and controversial final this Sunday in Leeds, at the First Direct Arena, before a return fixture in Marseille later this month
Coyd believes England’s rivalry against France is multi-faceted.
“It’s not just being closely matched on the field it’s kind of opposing ideologies for what direction the sport needs to go in,” he told rugbyleaguehub.com Long Reads.
“And being that it was an England home World Cup and we came out on top, they were probably petrified that the winners were going to carry on writing history.
“It’s really growing into one of the great sporting rivalries because France took the variant and made it to a place where it was a genuine sport.
“And then once it came over to England I would say we’ve turned it into something that can be recognised as a well-organised, almost professional in the way that the sport is played and delivered.
“And through all the big tournaments since that first World Cup with the Great Britain pioneers, it’s always been England or France. England or GB won the first-ever one and then France won in 2013 and 2017 at the World Cup, so it’s technically two each you could say.
“The Euros were played in 2015, which England won, and then the next time they get played England will be looking to retain.
“That would be us as a heavyweight boxer holding all the belts if you like.
“[Thid Test] deserves to be on a similar platform to the World Cup final.”
A crowd of more than 2,000 is expected for the First Test.
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