Canadian women to train in Leeds during 2021 Rugby League World Cup in England

The Canada Ravens will be based out of Leeds at the 2021 Rugby League World Cup in England.

Tournament organizers announced the team training bases on Wednesday, which marked 500 days before the start of the tournament.

The 61-game World Cup, which includes men’s, women’s and wheelchair competitions, runs Oct. 23 to Nov. 27, 2021, across 21 venues.

In addition to the Canadian women, Leeds will also serve as the training base for the Jamaican and Irish men and England, Papua New Guinea and Brazil women.

The fifth-ranked Ravens will play in Group A with host England (No. 3), Papua New Guinea (No. 4) and Brazil (No. 13). Group B features defending champion Australia (No. 1), New Zealand (No. 2), France (No. 6) and the Cook Islands (No. 7).

The Canadian men, ranked 27th in the world, failed to qualify for the 16-country men’s competition. The Americas will be represented by No. 20 Jamaica.

The Ravens made their World Cup debut in 2017, posting their first ever international win by downing Papua New Guinea 22-8 in Sydney, Australia, at the six-team women’s event.

Canada lost its other opening round matches — 50-4 to New Zealand and 88-0 to Australia — before falling 58-6 to Australia in the semifinals. Australia then defeated New Zealand 23-16 in the final.

“The Canadians will be looking forward to another attempt at reaching the final, and I’m sure having a base in Leeds will give them the energy and excitement to achieve their best,” Joe Dutton, chief executive of the Rugby League World Cup, said in a statement. 

The three tournaments will take place across 21 venues throughout England. Both the women’s and wheelchair competitions will be contested by two groups of four teams, while the 16-country men’s tournament will be split into four groups.

Rugby league is the 13-player code, as opposed to the 15-player rugby union.

This report by The Canadian Press was first published June 10, 2020.

The Canadian Press