Leeds Rhinos England Rugby League World Cup winner switches to Scotland for latest wheelchair tournament

Simpson-Hill hung up his wheels after England beat France in the 2022 final and has spent the time since focusing on his non-playing role with Rhinos. However, he’ll be back in his chair on Saturday when Scotland face France in Wollongong.

The Scots are tournament outsiders, but Simpson-Hill insisted: “It’s exciting, I am really looking forward to it. It is so different to playing for England.

“This isn’t me flipping sides or turning my back on England. I stopped playing for England four years ago and this is me recognising a different part of my heritage. I loved everything I did with England. I am a proud Englishman, but I want to recognise the Scottish part of my heritage.”

Scotland are a developing nation at international level though Edinburgh Giants finished a respectable fifth in Wheelchair Super League this year. “Not a single player in this Scotland team has played in a World Cup before, bar me,” Simpson-Hill added.

“It is a whole new-look Scotland team and Scotland have never won a World Cup game. Our measurement here isn’t about winning the World Cup, it’s can we compete, can we win games and can we move the needle? Is this new group of players the group who are going to start changing what Scotland’s all about?

“I am really excited to be a part of that. I know I am an old dog and I am not going to be doing the fancy stuff I used to; my job is going to be to bring in my experience. I won’t play every game, but I want to pass on all the knowledge I’ve gained over two World Cups and countless caps.”

Now in his 40s, Simpson-Hill has played a few games for the armed forces and Scotland since officially retiring in 2022 and admitted: “I can see what needs to be done, it’s just physically can I do it? I’ll see the lines or the options, but do I still have the power or skill to execute it like I used to, or do I just set up for the next play and get the next players on to it? It is exciting, I love it. It is like riding a bike, it comes back to you pretty fast.”

The Rhinos boss will be a player-coach in Australia, working with Martyn Gill who is also in charge of Edinburgh and previously held a similar position at Leeds. “It has worked well,” he reflected.

“It is so exciting, they are all brilliant. Martyn has to remind me sometimes they are still new - Edinburgh have only been in Super League two years so some of these players are only two years old game-wise and I’m 15 years old.

“Martyn has done a great job. He was the England coach, he coached them in a World Cup final in 2017 so he knows what he is doing. I trust him and the players all do.”

England, including Rhinos’ Nathan Collins and Tristan Norfolk, begin their defence against Wales, captained by Jodie Boyd-Ward of Leeds, on Friday. “I think it’s closer than last time, it is really tight,” Simpson-Hill said of who will win the trophy.

“I think England can and I think the players will step up. They know what they need to do. When you’ve got players like Nathan and Jack [Brown] and Rob [Hawkins, both of Halifax Panthers] they have got it in them to get it over the line.

“I think if France win it will be a really big team performance. They are really well-coached; Cyril [Torres, who played for Leeds in 2015], their new coach, is a great guy and I’ve got a lot of respect for him.

“He knows the game inside and out and he has changed what they are about. Their old coaches were quite angry, but he is very laid back. The way France do things will look and feel different, I think.”