Jump to content

Jamaica national rugby league team

From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
The printable version is no longer supported and may have rendering errors. Please update your browser bookmarks and please use the default browser print function instead.

Jamaica
Badge of Jamaica team
Team information
NicknameReggae Warriors
Governing bodyRugby League Jamaica
RegionAmericas
Head coachRomeo Monteith, Jermaine Coleman
CaptainJoe Brown
Most capsJoe Brown (14)
Top try-scorerWayne Reittie (6)
Top point-scorerJymel Coleman (54)
Home stadiumUniversity of the West Indies
IRL ranking18th
Team results
First international
 United States 37–22 Jamaica 
(Jacksonville, Florida, US; 14 November 2009)
Biggest win
Jamaica  68–16  Ireland
(Bray, Ireland; 16 October 2016)
Biggest defeat
 New Zealand 68-6 Jamaica 
(MKM Stadium, Hull, Eng; 22 Oct 2022)
World Cup
Appearances1 (first time in 2021)

The Jamaica national rugby league team represents Jamaica in international rugby league tournaments. Administered by the Jamaica Rugby League Association, the team made their full international debut at the 2009 Atlantic Cup against the United States.

The team made their first appearance at the Rugby League World Cup in 2021. They primarily wear yellow jerseys with green shorts and green socks. Their strongest line-up is composed mainly of British Jamaican professional and semi-professional players, alongside amateurs based in Jamaica.

History

Early years

In July 2004 the Jamaica Rugby League Association was born. In 2005 a domestic competition was formed featuring four teams (Duhaney Park Sharks, Vauxhall Vultures, Jamaica Defence Force and Olympic Angels), and in 2006 a representative side was selected for the first time to play against a touring side from the West Yorkshire Police.

An Intercollegiate competition was launched in 2010 and now features six Universities and Colleges (University of the West Indies, University of Technology, Mico University College, Portmore Community College, GC Foster College and Excelsior Community College). There is also a thriving junior program with a number of High Schools and Primary Schools playing the sport. There is also a Division 2 competition featuring.

Jamaica played their first full international game against the United States national side in Jacksonville, Florida in the 2009 Atlantic Cup. In October that year, Jamaica got their first victory at international level against Canada as part of the 2010 Atlantic Cup.[1]

Attempts at World Cup Qualification

In 2011 Jamaica entered the Rugby League World Cup for the first time as they contested the 2013 Rugby League World Cup qualifying Atlantic section, they failed to qualify after defeating South Africa and losing to the United States.

In 2015 Jamaica aimed to improve on their 2011 disappointment and succeed in the Americas qualification in order to qualify for their first ever World Cup in 2017 but were ultimately unsuccessful.

World Cup Qualification Success

In 2018, Jamaica entered the World Cup qualifying stages for a third time with the matches also doubling up as the 2018 Americas Rugby League Championship. On 13 November 2018, Jamaica played Canada for a place in the qualification play-off. They defeated Canada 38-8 with Ben Jones-Bishop getting two tries in the victory.[2] On 17 November 2018, Jamaica met the United States at Hodges Stadium, Jacksonville, Florida to play for a place in the 2021 Rugby League World Cup. Jamaica raced into a 16-0 lead within the first 30 minutes of the game only for the United States to score 2 tries before half-time and pull the score back to 16-10 at the break. The second half was a tighter contest with defence becoming the priority for Jamaica and the half would ultimately end scoreless. Jamaica beat the United States 16-10, defeating United States for the first time in Jamaica's history and qualifying for the 2021 World Cup.[3]

2021 Rugby League World Cup

Jamaica made their Rugby League World Cup debut against Ireland at Headingley losing 48-2.[4] In the second group stage match, Jamaica suffered a heavy defeat to New Zealand but scored their first ever try at the tournament. In the final group stage match, Jamaica were comprehensively beaten by Lebanon 74-12.[5]

Current squad

Squad selected for the 2021 Rugby League World Cup.

Player Caps Points Club
Jordan Andrade 5 12 Unattached
Chevaughn Bailey 2 0 Jamaica Duhaney Park Red Sharks
Joe Brown 14 4 England Workington Town
Jy-mel Coleman 8 54 Unattached
Joel Farrell 9 20 England Sheffield Eagles
Ashton Golding 7 8 England Huddersfield Giants
Bradley Ho 2 0 England Keighley Cougars
Greg Johnson 6 12 England Batley Bulldogs
Aaron Jones-Bishop 6 16 England Cornwall
Ben Jones-Bishop 6 20 England Sheffield Eagles
Michael Lawrence 4 0 England Huddersfield Giants
Abevia McDonald 0 0 England London Skolars
Khamisi McKain 7 0 Jamaica Duhaney Park Red Sharks
Jacob Ogden 6 8 England York Knights
Ross Peltier 11 12 England Dewsbury Rams
Kieran Rush 3 6 England Huddersfield Giants
Andrew Simpson 1 0 Jamaica Duhaney Park Red Sharks
Marvin Thompson 10 2 Jamaica Duhaney Park Red Sharks
Keenen Tomlinson 9 0 England Dewsbury Rams
Renaldo Wade 8 8 Jamaica Duhaney Park Red Sharks
AJ Wallace 3 0 England Bradford Bulls
James Woodburn-Hall 5 2 England Halifax Panthers
Alex Young 2 0 England Workington Town

Competitive Record

Jamaica have played 30 games in their history with their first full international being played in 2009 against the United States, despite the team having been formed 3 years previously in 2006.

They have only played two nations more than once, playing Canada 9 times and the United States 8 times. Jamaica regularly compete against these two nations in the Americas Rugby League Championship, having taken part in all 3 editions of this competition to date. They have played 5 other nations, each once. The first of these teams was South Africa in 2011. In 2016, Jamaica played games in Europe for the first time, taking on Ireland, comfortably defeating them 68-16 and Wales, drawing 16-16. In 2017, Jamaica played their toughest opponent to date, taking on 2-time World Cup runners-up France, a game they would lose 12-34.

Jamaica played their 20th game when they took on United States in the 2021 Men's Rugby League World Cup qualifying play-off, winning 16-10 and earning a place in the 2021 Rugby League World Cup in the process.

Team First Played Played Win Draw Loss % Last meeting
 Canada 2010 10 3 1 6 33% 2024
England England Knights 2019 2 0 0 2 0% 2021
 France 2017 1 0 0 1 0% 2017
 Ireland 2016 2 1 0 1 50% 2022
 Lebanon 2022 1 0 0 1 0% 2022
 New Zealand 2022 1 0 0 1 0% 2022
 Scotland 2021 1 0 1 0 0% 2021
 South Africa 2011 1 1 0 0 100% 2011
 United States 2009 9 2 0 7 25% 2023
 Wales 2016 2 0 1 1 0% 2024
Total 2009 30 7 3 20 30% 2024

World Cup

Jamaica made their debut at the 2021 Rugby League World Cup having failed to qualify on 2 occasions previously in 2013 and 2017. They were the second nation from the Americas region to play in a World Cup after the United States first took part in 2013.

Rugby League World Cup Record
Year Result Position Pld W D L PF PA
19542000 team did not exist
Australia 2008 not eligible
England Wales 2013 did not qualify
Australia New Zealand Papua New Guinea 2017
England 2021 Group Stage 4th in Group C 4 0 0 4 20 190

Americas Rugby League Championship

The Americas Rugby League Championship was introduced through the RLIF policy of international expansion and development. Previous to the tournament's existence, the only regional competition in the Americas was the annual Colonial Cup however only the United States and Canada competed in this. The new competition would feature 3 teams with Jamaica being the new edition. Jamaica have competed in all 3 editions to date. In 2016, they would finish 3rd and last but would improve their position by a single place in the following 2 editions, finishing as runners-up in 2017 and being crowned champions in 2018. That year also saw the expansion of the competition to 4 teams with the addition of Chile.

Americas Rugby League Championship Record
Year Position Pld W D L
United States 2015 2/3 2 1 0 1
United States Canada 2016 3/3 2 0 0 2
United States Canada 2017 2/3 2 1 0 1
United States 2018 1/4 2 2 0 0

Honours

Regional:
Americas Rugby League Championship:

  • Champions (1): 2018
  • Runners-up (2): 2015, 2017

IRL Rankings

Official rankings as of 30 June 2024
Rank Change Team Pts %
1 Steady  Australia 100
2 Steady  New Zealand 82
3 Steady  England 80
4 Steady  Samoa 67
5 Steady  Tonga 49
6 Increase 1  Fiji 47
7 Decrease 1  Papua New Guinea 46
8 Steady  France 28
9 Steady  Lebanon 22
10 Steady  Cook Islands 20
11 Steady  Serbia 19
12 Steady  Netherlands 17
13 Steady  Italy 15
14 Increase 1  Greece 15
15 Decrease 1  Malta 14
16 Steady  Ireland 14
17 Steady  Wales 13
18 Steady  Jamaica 10
19 Steady  Scotland 9
20 Steady  Ukraine 7
21 Steady  Czech Republic 7
22 Steady  Germany 6
23 Increase 3  Chile 6
24 Steady  Poland 6
25 Increase 3  Norway 6
26 Increase 1  Kenya 5
27 Decrease 4  Philippines 5
28 Decrease 3  South Africa 4
29 Steady  Nigeria 4
30 Steady  Ghana 4
31 Increase 2  United States 4
32 Increase 4  Montenegro 4
33 Decrease 2  Brazil 3
34 Decrease 2  Turkey 3
35 Increase 7  North Macedonia 3
36 Decrease 2  Bulgaria 3
37 Decrease 2  Cameroon 2
38 Decrease 1  Spain 2
39 Decrease 1  Japan 1
40 Decrease 1  Albania 1
41 Increase 5  Canada 1
42 Decrease 2  Colombia 1
43 Decrease 2  El Salvador 1
44 Decrease 1  Morocco 1
45 New entry  Russia 0
46 Decrease 2  Sweden 0
47 Decrease 2  Bosnia and Herzegovina 0
48 Increase 2  Hungary 0
49 Increase 3  Argentina 0
50 New entry  Hong Kong 0
51 Decrease 3  Solomon Islands 0
52 Decrease 5  Niue 0
53 Increase 1  Latvia 0
54 Decrease 1  Denmark 0
55 Decrease 6  Belgium 0
56 Decrease 1  Estonia 0
57 Decrease 6  Vanuatu 0
Complete rankings at INTRL.SPORT

See also

References

  1. ^ Burrowes, Paul (12 April 2011). "SVL boosts national rugby team with $100,000 sponsorship". Jamaica Observer. Archived from the original on 14 April 2011. Retrieved 28 April 2011.
  2. ^ rlif (16 November 2018). "USA to face Jamaica in World Cup Qualification Play off". Retrieved 19 November 2018.
  3. ^ rlif (18 November 2018). "JAMAICA WIN AMERICAS CHAMPIONSHIP & WORLD CUP PLACE - USA 10 JAMAICA 16 - Report". Retrieved 19 November 2018.
  4. ^ "Rugby League World Cup: Ireland 48-2 Jamaica - Wolfhounds score 10 tries in emphatic win". www.bbc.co.uk.
  5. ^ "Lebanon thrash Jamaica to reach World Cup quarter-finals". www.bbc.co.uk.