WALES coach Tom Brindle summed it as well as anyone could: “They’re not in the World Cup, we’re a World Cup team and they’ve got a win.”

In their last game before heading to Perth and Sydney, where they are pooled with Australia, Samoa and England, things went awry at Neath’s historic The Gnoll on Sunday when touring Canada scored a 14-0 win over the Dragons women.

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.

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 yesterday.

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.”

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.

Photo: Canada's Megan Pakulis and Petra Woods with York team-mate Agnes Wood, who played for Wales. @CanadaRavens

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.

After a tough, old-school battle, Ravens coach Matty Barron - who played nine Tests for Wales himself - 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.”

CANADA 14 (Pukulis 2 Finada tries Naismith goal) beat WALES 0 at The Gnoll, Neath.

WALES: Leanne Burnell (Cardiff); Frances Layton (Cardiff), Zoe Heeley (Cardiff), Olivia Williams (Cardiff), Dani McGifford (St Helens); Amberley Ruck (Cardiff), Jade Mullen (London), Agnes Wood (York), Carys Marsh (Wigan), Katie Carr (Cardiff), Georgia Cussons (Huddersfield), Sioned Young (Cardiff), Bethan Dainton (capt, Wigan). Interchange: Jasmine Gibbons (Cardiff), Gracie Hobbs (Huddersfield), Emily Hughes (London), Ffion Lewis (London), Sara Jones (Cardiff).

CANADA: Petra Woods (York); Brittany Jones (Alberta), Maddy Aberg (Alberta), Tatiana Joseph (Ontario), Erika Scott (Ontario); Dani Franada (Alberta), Tash Naismith (Ontario); Sarah McGuire (Alberta), Alannah Fittes (Alberta), Hannah Tonet (Ontario), Gabby Hindley (British Columbia), Dani Cox (Alberta), Megan Pukulis (capt, York). Interchange: Savannah Bacchus (Alberta), Rebecca Kochuk (Ontario), Tamisha Toussaint (Ontario), Payton McNeill (British Columbia), Larue Benoit (Alberta).

Referee: James Jones (Wales)