Wales beat Netherlands to qualify for first Women's World Cup

Wales needed less than two minutes to score their first try of the match

Wales have qualified for their first ever Women's Rugby League World Cup after beating the Netherlands 48-6 in Purmerend.

Wales dominated the contest from the off, and scored four first-half tries through Leanne Burnell, Brittony Price and Seren Gough-Walters (2) to lead 18-0.

The lead continued to grow after the break, with Kathryn Salter and Agnes Wood cross before Gough-Walters completed her hat-trick.

Netherlands finally got on the board after 63 minutes when Sylvie Moelee scored a wonderful solo try.

But the hosts were soon on the back foot once again, Burnell's second try and Hannah Jones extending the lead to 36 points with 10 minutes to play.

And with the final attack of the game, captain Bethan Dainton added the cherry on top as Wales finished off an emphatic win with their 10th try of the game.

Qualifying for a World Cup would have been a far-away dream just a few years back, as Wales only made their international debut in 2019.

Just 11 games later, they have secured their spot in the 2026 World Cup, the location of which is still to be decided.

Wales head coach Tom Brindle said:

“We knew they would be tough. They had some great players, but our girls did everything we asked of them. I was really happy with the performance today.

“We’re an ambitious team and this is the milestone we wanted to reach. We worked hard for each other and came through the other side.

“We’ve a long way to go from where we want to be right now, but our journey right now has been fantastic.”