Spectacular try helps England to Wheelchair Rugby League World Cup glory

England is Wheelchair Rugby League World champion for a third time after triumphing in a fiery, exhilarating final against France in Wollongong.

A spectacular try on the cusp of half-time proved pivotal for the English, with superstar Jack Brown rolling half the length of the pitch to collect a perfectly weighted Rob Hawkins kick and put his side ahead.

England kept the advantage for most of a hotly contested second half before surging clear late to triumph 50-38 and prompt a rousing rendition of the English sporting anthem Three Lions.

Earlier, Australia's Wheelaroos finished their campaign on a high, beating Ireland 70-24 in the third-place play-off.

Brown's superb effort came after a topsy-turvy first-half between wheelchair rugby league's two great powers, who have now combined for all five World Cup titles to date.

England raced to a 10-0 lead within the first 10 minutes, but was pegged back quickly, with French livewire Leo Hivernat scoring a try and providing a brilliant no-look pass to set up Damien Dore.

Tempers flared in the first period when England's Mason Billington shoved Hivernat to the ground, prompting a mid-court coming-together between the two teams.

A flurry of quick points followed for the French, but England eventually regained its composure, with Hawkins levelling things up in the right corner before setting up Brown in the half's dying moments.

France's Dany Denuwelaer crossed for a second-half hat-trick, but England proved too strong, with Brown scoring twice to complete his treble and Joe Coyd finishing with four tries.

Wheelaroos finish campaign on a high

Still licking their wounds from the 86-18 loss to England in Tuesday's semifinal, the Wheelaroos were out to finish their campaign on a high against an Irish side ranked one place ahead of them in the world rankings.

And Australia raced out of the blocks in the evening's curtain raiser, with Cory Cannane crossing within a minute and Toby Popple completing a quickfire double to have the tournament hosts 16-0 ahead with just seven minutes of play.

Ireland's Cian Horgan proceeded to hit back barely 60 seconds later, but his four-pointer would prove to be Australia's only concession in a dominant first half.

Wheelaroos captain Bayley McKenna was a surprise omission from coach Brett Clark's starting five, but returned early on to score his ninth try of the competition as the Australians reached the break with a 36-point advantage.

Ireland's Oran Spain, forced to rely on the kindness of an Irish tourist to replace a wheelchair broken on the eve of the tournament, suffered a heavy first-period fall but returned after half-time to score his side's second try in an improved showing from his side.

However, McKenna continued to influence the game, providing a deft assist for Daniel Anstey before tumbling over for two late tries to complete both his hat-trick and Australia's 70-24 victory.

Anstey also finished with a treble as the Wheelaroos secured a third-place finish, their equal, second-best finish in tournament history.