Ireland retain Wheelchair Celtic Cup

Ireland laid down a marker for inclusion in the 2026 Wheelchair Rugby League Cup in Australia with two stunning performances to retain the Wheelchair Celtic Cup, held at Cardiff Metropolitan University’s Cyncoed Campus.

Phil Roberts’ side defeated Scotland 92-20 for a record winning margin and points haul, and then beat Wales 66-10 in the competition showdown. “This year’s Celtic Cup showed further progression from all three nations and made for a fantastic event,” said Roberts as his side lifted the trophy.

“I was really proud of our patience and composure and some of our execution, and most pleased with our defence which ultimately was the difference.”

Ireland skipper Joe Calcott was their star, scoring six tries in the decider with the Welsh, Munster’s Cian Horgan with five tries in their opening encounter.

Scotland showed great improvement, taking Wales all the way in the opening clash, just going down 62-54, Edinburgh Giants trio Connor Blackmore, Calum Davidson and Dave Hill each with two tries.

“Today was our first hit outs under a new regime and we saw a lot of what we have been working on,” said Scotland head coach Martyn Gill. “There’s a lot we still need to get in place, but we’ll learn from the experience. There were some really encouraging performances and I’m excited to see what we can achieve.”

For Wales, Stuart Williams scored a Welsh record 70th international try, while skipper Jodie Boyd-Ward earned a world record 46th wheelchair international cap. Their head coach, Alan Caron commented: “It was a great day of wheelchair rugby league, and all the sides have grown significantly over the past few years.

“We are looking forward to travelling to Scotland for next year’s Celtic Cup and then onto the World Cup.”