Support quality, independent, local journalism…that matters

From just £1 a month you can help fund our work – and use our website without adverts. Become a member today

Wales’ wheelchair rugby league side will be heading stateside next year to play two tests against the USA.

Wales will face their hosts at Myrtle Beach Sports Center in South Carolina on February 2 and again on February 3.

The encounters will be the first wheelchair rugby league matches to ever be played in the Americas.

It will be only the third time that a Wales international rugby league side has ever been to North America.

Wales men played two matches against USA in Philadelphia in 1995 and earlier this year, Wales Masters, which is made up of men aged 35 and older, played in a festival in Toronto, Canada.

Wales and the USA met in last year’s Wheelchair Rugby League World Cup, with Wales coming out on top in what was USA’s debut in the sport.

The two nations also previously met in running rugby league in the 2013 men’s World Cup and the 1996 Student World Cup.

Wales wheelchair head coach, Alan Caron, said: “We played them at the World Cup, they looked very dominant for periods and we came back and won, so they’ll be looking for a bit of blood.

“We’re looking to help develop the game in the USA, that’s the main thing, making sure both teams come together with co-training programmes, then playing the internationals.

“It’s going to be a tour not just about winning the games that we play, but it’s all about the development side of the game, making sure that they’ve got things in place so they can grow the game of Wheelchair Rugby League.”