England stars Sebastien Bechara and Jack Brown, and France’s Jérémy Bourson and Nicolas Clausells, have been shortlisted for the 2022 IRL Golden Boot award.

After a two-year hiatus due to COVID, the Golden Boot will be awarded to the Men’s, Women’s and Wheelchair international player of the year on Tuesday, 15 November at The Midland Hotel, Manchester.

The Wheelchair Golden Boot was introduced in 2019 and awarded to England’s Jack Brown.

Brown and Bechara have been among the standout performers in England’s charge to Friday night’s World Cup final at Manchester Central against France, who have been led by Bourson and Clausells.

Australia’s Diab Karim is the other player shortlisted for the 2022 IRL Golden Boot award after his role in helping the Wheelaroos to the World Cup semi-final.

Bourson scored five tries in France’s 84-40 defeat of the Wheelaroos to take his tally to 10 for the tournament.

The Frenchman’s showdown with Brown, who scored eight tries in England’s 125-22 semi-final defeat of Wales, will be one of the highlights of the third consecutive World Cup final between the two nations.

Bechara, who plays in France for Catalans Dragons, and Claussells have also played key roles in the success of their teams during the tournament.

The IRL Wheelchair Golden Boot award be presented by Wheelchair Rugby League pioneer, Malcolm Kielty, MBE.

A panel of officials, coaches, referees and members of the media has been assessing players in the Wheelchair World Cup for the Golden Boot.

Karim, Bechara, Bourson, Brown and Claussells were chosen from a long list, which also included Lionel Alazard (France), Nathan Collins (England), James Hill (Australia), Theo Gonzalez (Spain), Bayley McKenna (Australia), Arno Vargas (France) and Stuart Williams (Wales).