Jodie Boyd-Ward will captain Wales at the 2026 Wheelchair Rugby League World Cup, with former skipper Stuart Williams appointed vice-captain.
Leeds Rhinos captain Boyd-Ward will lead Wales into the World Cup in Australia, having established herself as one of the most experienced players in the international game.
The appointment is another milestone in a remarkable international career for Boyd-Ward, who has represented three nations at three successive World Cups.
She previously played for Ireland in 2013 and England in 2017 before making her Wales debut in the 2021 Celtic Cup, then playing in the World Cup a year later. She has since won 18 Wales caps and is set to make history in Australia, with three appearances enough to take her to 50 international caps overall – potentially making her the first wheelchair rugby league player in the world to reach that landmark.
Boyd-Ward said: “This was totally unexpected. You never take anything for granted and the fact that I got asked to be captain means a lot to me.
“We’ve got such a mix of players from different backgrounds and different competitions within the sport, and I think each person brings something different.
“I want us to go out there and do what we do best. I want us to be that team that we’ve worked so hard over the last few years to be and go out and win things.”
Boyd-Ward is relishing the opportunity to reach the 50-cap milestone during a World Cup campaign, potentially against USA on 6 November.
“It’s potentially the USA game,” she said. “Which I think is even nicer because they’re some of our favourite people. It’ll be even better to have that game and get my 50th international cap with friends.”
Boyd-Ward will be supported in the leadership group by Williams, who returns to the role of vice-captain having captained Wales in the last World Cup. The Edinburgh Giants player is Wales’ record international try scorer, with 73 tries from his 36 caps.
Williams said he was proud to be returning to the leadership group alongside Boyd-Ward: “It feels great. Generally, it’s an honour just to have that title of captain in there. Vice-captain is just as important.”
He believes the opening three group matches will provide a stern test, beginning with reigning world champions England on Friday 30 October. Ireland will follow on 3 November, before Wales face USA on 6 November.
“Having England, the world champions, as the first game, is going to be an interesting match for us,” Williams adds. “We’re going to be looking to improve on what we had in the semi-final against them at the last World Cup.
“Ireland could be our do-or-die game to see whether we can get into the semis. I think we had a really good Celtic Cup against them, so I’m hoping we’ll get a win.”
A farewell event for the Welsh squad, which includes a final warm-up match and a shirt presentation dinner, takes place at Wrexham University this Saturday, with a match against a Wales Select Side at 2pm, followed by a Shirt Presentation Dinner, with guest speaker Clive Griffiths.
Admission to the match is free, with Dinner tickets priced from £15. Click here for more information and to buy tickets.
