Rugby Jamaica disappointed with tougher qualification route

TWO OF Jamaica’s leading rugby league figures have expressed huge disappointment that qualification for the 2026 World Cup will now come down to a winner-takes-all match in France on October 25.

Romeo Monteith and Ben Jones-Bishop have reacted to the International Rugby League’s decision not to decide the final two places in the 10-team tournament, to be staged in Australia and Papua New Guinea (PNG), as a four-team group affair.

Instead, the Reggae Warriors will play the French in Albi, while the Cook Islands will play hosts to South Africa in the Southern Hemisphere, for the right to join the eight seeded quarter-finalists from four years ago.

The earlier announcement that the tournament would be reduced from 16 finalists to 10 was not greeted well by many developing nations, and the latest news has furthered discontentment in the Caribbean.

France are able to field a mostly full-time professional team from Catalans Dragons, in the British-based Betfred Super League, and from Toulouse, who currently lead the second-tier Championship in the UK.

“It was disappointing because we were looking forward to a ‘world series’ using a round-robin concept, and that has now been changed,” said Monteith, Jamaica’s director of rugby.

“Getting games against all three other nations would have been nice but it all comes down to affordability and, therefore, it is what it is.”

Jones-Bishop, scorer of the Reggae Warriors wildly celebrated first-ever World Cup try during the 2022 competition, added:

“We would obviously have a better chance with two qualifiers from a four-nation group, but we will give it everything in the South of France.

“Representing Jamaica, helping them get to the World Cup and scoring their first-ever try in the competition against New Zealand at Hull, in what was my 300th professional game, against the number one-ranked team in the World at the time, was very special.

“I made a commitment back in 2016 and the goal was to get Jamaica to the World Cup and play in it.

“A lot of people laughed at the time and it took six years to achieve, and that was the pinnacle of a really long journey which wasn’t always a straight line.”

Battling for recognition and funds in a relatively small nation must have seemed like climbing Everest, and the latest setback must be seen as a further mountain to negotiate.

“I learned that no matter how you get there, you have to persevere, and the experience helped me grow,” added Leeds-born Jones-Bishop, a twice former Grand Final winner who is currently York Knights’ top scorer in the Championship with three hat-tricks in his 17 tries since signing from Sheffield Eagles earlier this year.

“It’s hard because we (Jamaica) don’t spend a lot of time together – we train separately then come together for the tournaments, so it’s really a ‘crash course’ when we do come together.

“We would love more international games to help the game take off but it comes down to feasibility and finding places in the schedule (busy with weekly games throughout the British summer) to fit in matches.”

Jamaica are currently ranked 19th globally, with France, eighth; Cook Islands, 10th; and South Africa, 26th.

Several island-based players participated in the 2022 World Cup, but qualifying for Australia/PNG might be restricted to ex-pat and heritage players from Britain, where the game is played more on a full- or part-time professional level.

“We hope to get some support from the international federation and the Jamaican Government, and would love to include some players from the island; but again, that very much comes down to money,” said Monteith

France last hosted Jamaica in 2017 in a friendly, with the hosts winning 34-12 in front of a crowd of over 6,500 in Perpignan.

The women’s game has also progressed in recent years, although Jamaica, now ranked 23, will not participate ‘Down Under’ next year, as Canada made it through the Americas group by beating the USA in the final eliminator – the States having knocked out Jamaica in the semi-finals.

An ex-pat-based side is due to participate in a tri-nation series against England and Scotland next October and November.