England aim for Leeds Rhinos stars as wheelchair rugby league begins World Cup year
He is one of the superstars of wheelchair rugby league, but Leeds Rhinos’ Nathan Collins hopes a place in this year’s England World Cup isn’t guaranteed.
Collins played in England’s historic win against France in the 2022 final and was outstanding during the side’s Ashes tour of Australia - where this year’s tournament will be staged - last autumn. He has been named in the national performance squad and it would be a huge shock if he wasn’t on the flight Down Under at the end of the season, but Collins insisted: “At the end of the day, I want to be pushed to keep my spot.”
He said: “That just shows the game is growing. I just want the game to grow, so the more players come in, the better. If they push me for spots, that makes me better as a player as well.”
The domestic campaign kicks off on Saturday, when Rhinos visit York Knights in the Challenge Cup and the World Cup won’t be far from any player’s thoughts, Collins reckons. “It is a big season for us this year and there’s a lot of people wanting to prove themselves,” he stated.
“They want a spot in the World Cup, that’s the end goal, but obviously we’ve got to do our job for our team and hopefully get some silverware. The long aim is to be in the World Cup team at the end of the year, I think that’s what most people are fighting for.”
Collins is one of three Rhinos players in the England performance squad, alongside Josh Butler and Tristan Norfolk, but reckons more could force their way in - including national skipper Tom Halliwell who missed Leeds’ entire 2025 season with a shoulder injury. “There’s an opportunity if people play well in the league,” Collins added. “For the players who do come in, I feel like it’s the perfect learning opportunity because you train and play with some of the best in the country. There’s no better way to learn.”
Rhinos have points to prove as a team this year after a trophyless season in 2025, when they didn’t reach either final and, for the first time, finished below top spot on the Betfred Wheelchair Super League table. Their title defence ended in controversial fashion when they were thrown out of the play-offs for not fulfilling a league fixture at Halifax Panthers, which clashed with team member Ewan Clibbens’ wedding.
“We definitely want to go for silverware this year,” Collins said. “It was a big loss, missing Tom last year. He has just had surgery and we’re looking forward to having him back towards the end of the year.
“I feel like it was a down season last year; we didn’t play like we wanted to, but the only way is up this season - we want to push for silverware, get to the finals and try and improve on last year.”
Saturday’s tie will be staged at York Sport Centre, with a 2pm kick-off. Knights play in the second-tier Championship, but Collins warned: “Every team you play gives 100 per cent and I am sure York will. They aren’t up to Super League level yet, but I’m sure they’ll put up a good fight and it’ll be a good game.
“We’ve had two pre-season games and this can stand us in good stead going into the league. Training has gone really well, everybody has knuckled down and we are looking better than we did last year, which is a big positive.”