Wales Students will take on England Universities on Sunday at Aberavon Harlequins in the first of a two-legged encounter (kick-off 3pm).
The return match is being played at Stanningley in Leeds next weekend.
These fixtures replace the Four Nations that was cancelled this year after Scotland and Ireland were unable to compete.
Both sides have prepared well. Wales secured a win over South Wales Jets in a friendly, whilst England have recently won their nation’s annual “President’s Cup” played against GB Police, GB Teachers and UK Armed Forces.
Wales will hope to register a first win against England at this level in over a decade for head coach Craig Fisher who has announced that this two-match series will be his swansong with WRL.
Fisher said: “I’m really looking forward to seeing what this new Wales Students team can bring against the reigning student champions and President Cup holders, England.
“We’re under no illusion that this game will be a gear or two higher than when we faced the Jets, and we need to be mentally and physically strong enough to meet the challenge in front of us.
“The lads have trained well and eager to get stuck in. We have assembled a very capable squad that we think can carry the students programme forward in the future. These next two games have some serious emotional significance as we’re playing for Gabe Holt and his family who mean so much to us, and as such no player this year will wear the number 12 shirt, that will be given to Chris and Michelle, Gabe’s parents.
“Also, I step down from Wales RL after the last game in Leeds after several wonderful years, being part of the Dragonhearts to leading Wales to third in the world in the PDRL World Cup and the Students where I have met and coached some wonderful people. I think I owe it to the lads and Wales to go out on a high and with no regrets.”
Wales (with squad numbers):
1 Lloyd Evans (Coleg Llandrillo)
2 Dylan Morgan (Cardiff and Vale College)
3 Jacob Purcell (Cardiff Metropolitan University)
4 Joe Coope-Franklin (University of Central Lancashire)
5 Jack Hunter (Swansea University)
6 Euan Owen (Swansea University)
7 Ben Luxford (University of Birmingham)
8 Oscar Fisher (Leeds College of Building)
9 Alfie Velasco (Swansea University)
10 Scott Simons (Cardiff Metropolitan University)
11 Jamie Jenkins (Cardiff and Vale College)
12 In memory of Gabriel Holt
13 Ollie Firth (Swansea University)
14 Ollie Moody (Swansea University)
15 Ed Weston (Coleg Llandrillo)
16 Garin Nicholls (Abingdon and Witney College)
17 Joe Caldwell (Lancaster University)
18 Jac McGuffie (Liverpool John Moore University)
19 Lewis Ingram (Coleg y Cymoedd)
20 Thomas Moore (Swansea University)
21 Llewellyn Hawkes (Cardiff Metropolitan University)