Jamaica has announced a 20-man squad in preparation for their international rugby league match against Wales, ranked 17th in the world.
The clash is set to take place at The Lextan Gnoll in Neath next Tuesday, October 15, with kickoff scheduled for 7:30 pm.
The majority of the selected players compete in English leagues, with the exception of Alex Young, who currently plays for the Sydney Roosters in Australia. The squad features experienced veterans such as Ben Jones-Bishop, James Woodburn Hall, Mo Agoro, Jordan Andrade, Keenen Tomlinson, and Ross Peltier.
Several potential debutants
New faces also emerge, with several potential debutants including Darius Carter, Delaine Gittens-Bedwards, Jaden Dayes, Leo Skerritt-Evans, Aaron Smalls, Keenan Ramsden, and Joshua Hudson-Lett.
Injuries have sidelined key players, including captain Ashton Golding (Huddersfield), Jerome Yates (West Warriors), and Greg Johnson (Moldgreen). Michael Lawrence (Bradford) and AJ Wallace (Hull KR) are also unavailable due to club commitments. In light of this, former captains Joe Brown and Jy-Mel Coleman, both pivotal in Jamaica’s 2021 World Cup qualification, have stepped forward as potential players, with Coleman serving as an assistant coach.
Rhys Lovegrove, the Reggae Warriors’ head coach and Academy Head Coach at Hull KR, expressed his enthusiasm: “I’m really honored and privileged to be part of the coaching set up and excited to see some new faces pull on the jersey to face Wales.”
Significance of the match
Romeo Monteith, Director of Rugby and Head of Jamaica’s men’s program, emphasized the significance of the match: “As an organization, we are happy to face Wales at their home. They are a good team with a proud history in rugby league. Jamaica remains committed to playing at least one international in Europe annually, and we hope to collaborate more often with Wales in the future. The game helps them prepare for their European World Cup qualifiers, and it helps us in our preparation for the World Series in 2025, as it’s vital our professional players get a chance to play together as often as possible.”
The Reggae Warriors last faced the USA in a men’s international on December 3, 2024, losing 26-30. Following the match against Wales, Jamaica is scheduled to play Canada in Toronto on October 19.
Jamaica squad: Delaine Gittens (Barrow Raiders), Joshua Hudson-Lett (Bedford Tigers), Leo Skerritt-Evans (Castleford Tigers), Aaron Smalls (Cornwall), Keenen Tomlinson (Featherstone Rovers), James Woodburn-Hall (Halifax), Darius Carter, Kieran Rush (Huddersfield Giants), Chris Ball (London Broncos), Alex Brown (Moldgreen ARLFC), Mo Agoro (Oldham), Jaden Dayes, Jordan Andrade (Rochdale), Ben Jones-Bishop (Sheffield), Keenan Ramsden (Siddal), Alex Young (Sydney Roosters), Isaac Coleman (York Acorn), Joe Brown, Jy-Mel Coleman, Ross Peltier (Unattached).
