Rugby League World Cup: Jamaica’s ‘pioneering team’ competing at first tournament

Jamaica’s rugby league foundation was first created in 2004 and they played their maiden international five years later against the United States.

And it was shock 16-10 win against the same opponents in Jacksonville in 2018 which confirmed Jamaica’s place at the tournament for the first time.

Now the lowest ranked team face the most difficult of tasks when they come up against world number one New Zealand in Hull on Saturday (19:30 BST) in their second group game.

The MKM Stadium will be a far cry from the facilities they usually utilise back home in Jamaica, where it is still an amateur sport on the island and they don’t have a single pitch dedicated to the sport.

“The dream was always to qualify for the World Cup,” says coach Romeo Monteith. “I wasn’t sure I would see it in my lifetime. Having achieved that, from here on out it is all about building on the legacy.

“How much more we can grow the sport? How much more we can get people playing in Jamaica and also inspiring out Caribbean heritage people here?

“The game is much bigger than the 80 minutes and our focus is on growing and building the sport and ensuring rugby league becomes a household name among Jamaicans, both at home and abroad.”