Wales Women will host Scotland and England in senior international rugby league matches next month, with both matches being played at The Lextan Gnoll in Neath.
Wales v Scotland will be on Sunday 3rd August (kick-off 1pm). This match will be Scotland’s first-ever senior women’s international rugby league match and is part of a big weekend at The Lextan Gnoll with the JES Group Rugby League Conference Grand Final taking place the day before.
Just under a week later, Wales host England in their first home game against their local rivals in over three years. This match takes place on Saturday 9th August (kick-off 2pm).
These matches don’t form part of a tournament but are full senior internationals and will count for world ranking points.
Last summer, Wales qualified for the Women’s Rugby League World Cup for the first time, with this tournament taking place at the end of next year, and Wales Women’s head coach Tom Brindle says these matches will form a valuable part of the preparation.
He said: “These games are important for us as we continue our journey towards the World Cup. We’ve always been up for testing ourselves and competing against the best in the world, which this series again allow us to do, so I would like to thank the Wales board for supporting us, as these games are an important part of our long-term plan.
“Building on last year, it’s crucial that we play games every year, not just as a team, to keep progressing and growing as a group, but also to continue to inspire and help grow the game over the next decade in Wales.
“Playing Scotland in their international test match is an honour that we’re all incredibly proud of. I’ve been fortunate enough to be a part of several firsts in women’s rugby league, and each one is a fantastic milestone that deserves to be celebrated. As the women’s game continues to thrive and grow, we can’t wait to see what the future holds.
“And let’s not forget about the opportunity to take on England again on our home turf. This is a fantastic chance for locals to witness some world-class players and for us to learn from our last performance. We’re excited to give it test ourselves again and see how we’ve progressed.”
Scotland women’s head coach John Whalley said: “We are really looking forward to the chance at testing ourselves against a very good Wales team in our first international test match.
“We have had a couple of months together now as a group and we are building nicely, we know it will be a tough fixture to go straight into but we want that challenge and we will embrace it.
“Wales are a top 10 nation with a quality squad and great coaching staff it has the makings of a great fixture and the start of something very special.”
Stuart Barrow, England women’s head coach, said: “We’re delighted to have an international fixture in Wales this summer. It was important to us to get back together with a short-term focus as well as continuing to prepare for next year’s World Cup – and we know that Wales will provide passionate and well-coached opposition.”
