England successfully completed their defence of the wheelchair Rugby League World Cup after edging old foes France in a thrilling final in Wollongong.

The two best sides in the wheelchair discipline were perhaps always destined to meet in the final given the superiority they possess over the other nations. England defeated the French by only four points in Manchester four years ago in front of 5,000 fans and Tom Coyd’s side were victorious once again, this time on Australian soil.

Coyd’s brother, Joe, was among England’s stars with four tries. He helped put England into an early 10-0 advantage before the French hit back with four unanswered tries to lead 22-10. But by half-time, England had staged their own comeback as Coyd completed his hat-trick to help the defending champions lead by six at the interval.

Dany Denuwelaere’s magnificent try then levelled the scores before England went back ahead through the world’s best player, Rob Hawkins. Coyd’s fourth opened up daylight for the English and when Denuwelaere scored again shortly after to reduce the deficit to just four, back-to-back tries for Jack Brown opened up a crucial three-score lead as the game entered the final stages.

Denuwelaere, the French’s standout, completed his hat-trick late on but it was mere consolation, with England successfully closing out the final minutes to ensure they would retain the title.

• Aaron Bower’s full report to follow