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

Jamaica has a history of upsetting the odds and reaching World Cup tournaments.

The Reggae Boyz - the men's football team featuring household names such as Robbie Earle and Marcus Gayle - managed it for the first time in 1998 and the Reggae Girlz did so three years ago.

Now the Reggae Warriors have followed suit by making their debut in the Rugby League World Cup after beating Canada and the United States to qualify.

With just three professional players in their ranks, Jamaica's journey is more about "growing and building" the sport than causing any kind of shock results on the pitch.

BBC Radio 5 Live went to meet members of the squad at their training base in Headingley, Leeds.

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'The dream was always to qualify'

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."

'Rugby? What?'

Last Sunday's 48-2 defeat against Ireland was just the 26th international match Jamaica have played.

Their 24-man squad for the tournament consists mostly of part-time players with Huddersfield trio Ashton Golding, Michael Lawrence and Kieran Rush the only players from Super League.

Six of the roster play in Jamaica's domestic league for the Duhaney Park Red Sharks, including PE teacher Chevaughn Bailey.

"At the end of the anthem [against Ireland] I broke down in tears," he says. "It was very emotional for me and all the domestic players to feature in the game.

"In Jamaica, there are four main sports: football, track and field, cricket and netball. So telling the pupils 'sir is going to play in the Rugby League World Cup', they were like, "Rugby? What?"

"It is an experience and as they grow older they will understand."

'Pleasing' to be part of 'pioneering team'

Had the World Cup taken place last year as planned, Jamaica's team would have looked very different with the inclusion of Dominic Young.

But after a phone call from boss Shaun Wane, the giant Newcastle Knights winger chose to represent the country of his birth rather than his heritage, missing out on playing alongside his brother Alex.

Dominic - the younger sibling - announced himself on the international stage with two superb tries in England's 60-6 demolition of Samoa.

"We have been talking consistently over the last few weeks and both are so proud of each other for different reasons," says Wakefield-born Workington player Alex.

"We took quite different journeys after leaving college - I took the education route by going to university and he backed himself to become a professional player which he has achieved. He has come a long way in the last few years.

"It is my dad's side of the family with Jamaican heritage, we both qualified from that route. There was no Jamaica team to watch when I grew up it was not something you saw at all.

"It has been pleasing to be part of the pioneering team to play in the first World Cup."