Wales Wheelchair have ramped up their preparations for Wollongong’s WIN Entertainment Centre after selecting two squads to face the UK Armed Forces in a double header at Wrexham University on Saturday 14 March.

Wales will take part in their fourth consecutive Wheelchair World Cup, having made their debut in Gillingham in 2013.

Then they won 16–12 against Australia in the third-place play-off encounter which saw them automatically qualify for France four years later, where they finished fifth defeating Spain, 66-45, who were making their first appearance at a World Cup.

Back in England for RLWC2022, Wales again made the semi finals, having beaten newcomers USA and Scotland in the group stages, going down to the hosts at the English Institute of Sport in Sheffield.

A top four finish once more saw them qualify automatically for this year’s tournament and, having toured USA in February 2024 in the first wheelchair international on an American pitch, they are looking forward to an inaugural trip to the southern hemisphere.

Wales head coach head Alan Caron has named 17 players for the two clashes with the Armed Forces - eight in the main squad and a further nine in the development side.

However, each match will feature 10 players so Caron can study closely the players in contention for RLWC2026.

Gary Preece of Midlands Hurricanes, who is returning to the Wales camp for the first time in two years, will start the day by playing for Wales ‘A’, while two further players from the first match will also form part of the main squad, the names of whom are still to be confirmed.

Preece, joins seven of the players who beat UK Armed Forces 24-22 in Hull last November, with Jodie Boyd-Ward once again captaining the side and Stuart Williams remaining as vice-captain.

The Wales ‘A’ side contains just two players who have not yet played for Wales in Libbie Sargent of Cardiff Blue Dragons and Midlands Hurricanes, and Sheffield Eagle Gareth Ramsey. All the other players have previously won full caps for Wales.

Caron said: “As head coach of Wales Wheelchair Rugby League, playing a second match against UK Armed Forces and also seeing the first ‘A’ team fixture of our national programme marks a defining step forward.

“It reflects the growth of our pathway, the standards we’re setting, and the pride of representing something bigger than ourselves every time we take the pitch.”

He added: “It’s a big year for us with the Celtic Cup in May in Edinburgh and the World Cup in October and November in Australia, and these matches form a big part of our preparation for both tournaments.”

Wales squad: Jodie Boyd-Ward (Leeds Rhinos, captain), Jonathan Gill, Matthew Turner, Jakub Wasieczko (all North Wales Crusaders), Stuart Williams (North Wales Crusaders/Edinburgh Giants, vice captain), Gary Preece (Midlands Hurricanes), Brogan Evans, Mark Williams (both South Wales Jets/Wigan Warriors) plus two TBC.

Wales ‘A’ squad: Jess Booth (Cardiff Blue Dragons/Chester Gladiators), Lee Sargent, Libbie Sargent (both Cardiff Blue Dragons/Midlands Hurricanes), Harry Mitchell-Jones, Lucie Roberts, Martin Turner (all North Wales Crusaders), Gareth Ramsey (Sheffield Eagles), Jamie Reynolds, Jason Reynolds (both South Wales Jets/Midlands Hurricanes).

Wales will be looking to regain the Celtic Cup in Scotland in late Spring, a tournament they claimed on seven consecutive occasions until 2023.

The domestic competition continues to flourish, with the WRL Wheelchair Invitational League launched in 2023 to provide opportunities for Wheelchair players in Wales to play competitively, while also assisting the development of the sport.

Each side in the league is only allowed one elite player on the pitch at once, classed as someone who has been in an international squad or in a Super League side in the same calendar year.

This season’s Grand Final, in Llandrindod Wells, saw unbeaten South Wales Jets crush Cardiff 98-18, the Blue Dragons having denied last season’s champions North Wales Crusaders the chance to defend the trophy with victory in the final round of regular season matches.

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