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Bethan Dainton will lead out Wales women’s rugby league side as they take on England at the ground where she plays her club rugby.

Leeds Rhinos star Dainton, from Hengoed, was made Wales captain last autumn, but will skipper a side at Headingly for the first time on Saturday November 2.

It will be Wales’ first game since beating the Netherlands 48-6 back in June – a historic result that saw Wales qualify for a debut world cup.

Head coach Tom Brindle has named a 19-player squad, with six changes from the side that beat the Dutch.

“Facing England is always a big game for us,” said Brindle.

“We’re an ambitious team and testing ourselves against one of the world’s best is key to our long-term goals. We’re still early in our journey as an international team, and we’ve progressed each year from our modest base.

“Qualifying for the World Cup on our first attempt was a milestone but our aim is to compete at the level of the established, professionally ran teams. We showed glimpses of that last year, and Saturday gives us another great opportunity to see how far we’ve come and how close we are to closing the gap.”

Wales squad to face England

• Leanne Burnell (Cardiff Demons),
• Katie Carr (Cardiff Demons),
• Bethan Dainton (c) (Leeds Rhinos),
• Lucia Davis (Cardiff Demons),
• Jasmine Gibbons (Cardiff Demons),
• Gracie Hobbs (Huddersfield Giants),
• Emily Hughes (London Broncos),
• Ffion Jenkins (Cardiff Demons),
• Hannah Jones (Cardiff Demons),
• Sara Jones (Cardiff Demons),
• Carys Marsh (Wigan Warriors),
• Dani McGifford (St. Helens),
• Rhi Parker (Cardiff Demons),
• Ashlea Prescott (Featherstone Rovers),
• Amy Price (Cardiff Demons),
• Georgia Taylor (York Valkyrie),
• Meg Whittaker (Cardiff Demons),
• Olivia Williams (Cardiff Demons),
• Agnes Wood (Sheffield Eagles).