Wales eye NRLW stars for World Cup

Wales coach Tom Brindle has confirmed that he is eyeing off a number of NRLW players to bolster his squad for Rugby League World Cup 2026.

In their last game before heading to Perth and Sydney, where they are pooled with Australia, Samoa and England, Wales were beaten 14-0 by Canada, who missed out on a World Cup berth to Fiji.

“They’re not in the World Cup, we’re a World Cup team and they’ve got a win," Brindle said, summing up the result as well as anyone could.

Brindle has his eyes on a couple of NRLW players - whom he would not name - to bolster his squad, but said the result just underlined the mammoth task ahead.

“Look, we knew when we started this journey just under five years ago what the challenge was going to be,” Brindle, also the RFL’s head of growth, said.

“We knew when we qualified what the task was going to be. Now we know the groups, we know what the bigger challenge is.

“We are likely to play against two teams that are getting close to fulltime, that are drawn from NRLW players.

“I’ve said before that the Jillaroos squad, in particular, is some of the best players to play the game.

“For us it’s how do we set our own standards and how do we look to compete and how do we look to build on our values around inspiring the next generation and make our families proud.”

Brindle said he hoped to add “three or four” players to the squad beaten by Canada at Neath's historic The Knoll.

On the possibility of recruiting from the NRLW, he commented: “We’re in a conversation with a couple of players. We’ll see how that goes in the next couple of weeks or so.

“There’s not that many eligible. Those that are, we’ve been in conversations with and we’ll continue. There were probably only five that were eligible and of those a number aren’t even playing this year.”

Ravens captain and lock Megan Pakulis, who now plays for York after a stint in the NRLW with Gold Coast, scored two tries in a bruising encounter in which the visitors produced some hugely impressive goal-line defence.

After some spirited back and forth in a game played under NRLW rules, which will be adapted for the World Cup, Ravens five-eighth Dani Frinada found a gap around the ruck against retreating defence and sliced through to score.

Pukulis' first try was from close range with the defence again in somewhat disarray.

Shortly after the resumption of play in the second half, the veteran of two World Cups with Canada, latched onto a movement on the left and bustled her way across the tryline.

Ravens coach Matty Barron, who played nine Tests for Wales, was not worried about his compatriots.

“They’ve got some fantastic players,” he said. “More time together, they’re gonna be OK.

“They’ve got that tough Welsh spirit - I know. They’re gonna find a level that’s going to test them for sure.”

Meanwhile, Canada will be looking to claim their third consecutive Celtic scalp when they take on Scotland at Hawick on July 25, having also beaten Ireland to third place in last year's IRL Women’s Rugby League World Series in Toronto.

“Coming off a strong test against Wales, we’re excited for another opportunity to challenge ourselves in Scotland," Barron said. "Every match is a chance to build towards the 2030 Rugby League World Cup for us.

“We’re also proud to play our part in supporting the continued growth of Scotland’s women’s programme. These fixtures help strengthen the global game and create valuable opportunities for both nations to continue to raise the overall standard.”

It will be Scotland’s fourth competitive game - and their first at home - after away encounters in Las Vegas earlier this year, when they beat USA, and Jamaica and Wales in 2025.