Wales’ wheelchair rugby league training squad named ahead of World Cup

Fifteen players have been named in the Wales wheelchair rugby league training squad ahead of the World Cup in Australia later this year.

Head coach Alan Caron will put the squad through its paces in late August before trimming the group to a final 12-player roster for the tournament in Wollongong, which runs through October and November.

The squad features local representation from south Wales clubs, including Lee Sargent and Jess Booth of Cardiff Blue Dragons, as well as South Wales Jets’ Mark Williams.

Six players remain from May’s Celtic Cup squad. However, Jason Reynolds, Jamie Reynolds and Harry Mitchell-Jones are unavailable to travel to Australia.

Uncapped players John Berriman (York Knights) and Fionn McCabe (North Wales Crusaders) have earned their first call-ups following strong domestic form in the RFL Wheelchair Championship.

Gareth Ramsey (Sheffield Eagles) also receives his first call-up, joining his son Sid in the squad. They form one of two father-son pairings alongside Martin and Matthew Turner.

Wales’ record points scorer Andrew Higgins returns to the national setup for the first time in two years, having scored 511 points in 37 appearances between 2014 and 2024.

Head coach Alan Caron said: “Following a training camp last weekend, we’ve selected 15 players who will move on to the next stage before we cut down to the 12 that will go to Australia.

“These players will train in August for us to watch them, push them to see what they can do, and see if they fit into the system we’re looking to run.

“From that it will go down to a team of 12, and then we’ll have several training sessions during September and October before we fly out.”

Wales Training Squad

• John Berriman (York Knights)
• Jess Booth (Cardiff Blue Dragons/Salford Red Devils)
• Jodie Boyd-Ward (Leeds Rhinos)
• Jonathan Gill (North Wales Crusaders)
• Andrew Higgins (Midlands Hurricanes)
• Fionn McCabe (North Wales Crusaders)
• Gary Preece (Midlands Hurricanes)
• Gareth Ramsey (Sheffield Eagles)
• Sid Ramsey (Sheffield Eagles)
• Lee Sargent (Cardiff Blue Dragons/Midlands Hurricanes)
• Martin Turner (North Wales Crusaders)
• Matthew Turner (North Wales Crusaders/Wigan Warriors)
• Jakub Wasieczko (North Wales Crusaders)
• Mark Williams (South Wales Jets/Wigan Warriors)
• Stuart Williams (North Wales Crusaders/Edinburgh Giants)