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Wales scored two tries at the 2026 Rugby League World Cup

By

Ceri Coleman-Phillips

BBC Sport Wales

  • Published2 minutes ago

Wales shipped a whopping 48 tries in three games at their first Women's Rugby League World Cup, but the view from within is that they should not be judged solely by scorelines.

Qualifying for the tournament in Australia could be considered an achievement in itself given the side only formed in 2019 and played its first international two years later.

"We knew this was the starting point, it was a challenging one, but just getting here puts us in a place to allow the game to grow," said Wales head coach Tom Brindle.

"I've worked in rugby league, particularly with women and girls, for 20 years. I've been around for quite a while and I'm fully aware of the disparity in the resources.

"So to get a small nation which basically started with nothing, to put all the programmes in place, and then go to the World Cup and compete is a truly remarkable feat."

Setting their own goals

Wales beat Netherlands to secure their placeat the World Cup and opened their campaign with 70-6 and 76-0 defeats by England and Samoa.

Their final game was against three-time winners and current world champions Australia, who ran in a record 21 tries in their 124-6 drubbing in Sydney.

"The scoreline tells one story but it doesn't tell the whole story. People in Wales now get to see rugby league on a world stage," reflected Brindle.

"It was probably where we expected to be. It was definitely the group of death, we got three of the four best teams, and Australia are better than everybody else by a distance."

But Brindle said Wales set their own goals and ambitions prior to the tournament, with one of them to get points against Australia.

"You would have seen our reaction when we scored, at that point no other team had done it and it shows that we can compete in the right circumstances," he said.

"The other [goal] was how we conducted ourselves and the legacy that we wanted to leave.

"We've had a number of messages saying 'you've inspired', 'you had pride in your shirt', 'you kept on trying and playing for each other'. These all the things we could control, the behaviour side of it and they delivered on that."

Rugby League World Cup

15 October - 15 November

Australia, Papua New Guinea, New Zealand

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Listen to live commentary on every men's match, and key women's matches - with coverage on BBC Radio 5 Live, BBC Radio 5 Sports Extra, BBC Sounds and the BBC Sport website and app

Growing the game in Wales

After representation on the world stage, Brindle says the fundamentals are now in place to grow the game and inspire the next generation of Welsh players.

"We're already starting to see it. We've got a number of new girls' teams," he said.

"One of the videos that we showed before we started playing [at the World Cup] was good luck messages from all the young girls and them saying how they wanted to be like them and the next Bethan Dainton."

But a lack of resources and a clear framework remain major challenges in the game.

"Wales is mainly run by volunteers and gets £7,500 a year for all of its performance programmes," added Brindle.

"I've had to beg, borrow and steal and use different resources to kind of match where possible.

"Rugby league's problem, it always has been, is that we're not very consistent. I don't know when the next World Cup is, I don't know what the qualification process is, so if I was writing a plan now, I don't know what to write against."

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Brindle says Wales' core values are family, enjoyment and legacy

Wales has benefited by bringing players across from union, with internationals Ffion Lewis and Hannah Bluck among those involved in the World Cup.

There have also been players going the other way, with former league captain Bryonie King now firmly established in Sean Lynn's union side.

"We still celebrate their success, it's amazing that they get to live as full-time athletes," said Brindle.

"And then if anyone drops out the other side of it we have opportunities to take some of their expertise to make this team stronger and give them opportunities to compete on a world stage."

Brindle said Wales Rugby League's relationship with the Welsh Rugby Union works well, but thinks more could be done in the future.

"There are more opportunities that could be built and make Wales stronger, that's ultimately what you want," he said.

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