Exciting times for Welsh Rugby League

Fittingly, after the historic knighthood awarded to Sir Billy Boston, the last week has provided a powerful reminder of the value and potential of Rugby League in Wales.

With auspicious timing, within 24 hours of Sir Billy’s trip to the Palace, leading Wales Rugby League officials were in Westminster addressing the sport’s All-Party Parliamentary Group, providing an update on recent developments in the Principality — and explaining why the sport both needs and deserves greater financial support.

That was followed on Saturday by Wales Rugby League’s biggest day of the year so far, as four matches were played in front of a four-figure crowd at the iconic Cardiff Arms Park — a ground steeped in Rugby League history, having hosted a number of Super League fixtures in years gone by — as part of the 2025 Summer Smash.

Rugby League activity in Wales is not slowing down. At the end of May, both the Under 16s and Under 18s sides recorded victories over Ireland, while our Student side will enter the Home Nations competition later this month. Further Men’s and Women’s international fixtures will be announced in the coming weeks — part of our commitment to ensure Rugby League is a sport for everyone within our communities.

And the domestic game continues to thrive. On Sunday, North Wales Crusaders held off Midlands Hurricanes in a bruising Betfred League One battle in Colwyn Bay, pulling three points clear at the top of the table and staying on course for a serious promotion challenge to the Betfred Championship in 2026.

Meanwhile, Cardiff Demons remain well-placed in the Women’s Rugby League Championship, following another strong campaign in the Betfred Women’s Challenge Cup. The Crusaders’ Wheelchair team are also joint top of their division, further evidence that the game is thriving in all formats.

"These are exciting times," said James Davies, the Chair of Wales Rugby League who was joined by Performance Director and trailblazing cross-code coach Clive Griffiths in addressing the APPG in Parliament.

“For Billy Boston to be knighted underlines the importance of Wales’s historic contribution to Rugby League.

“For that to be followed so quickly by our Smash Weekend showed how many people are actively engaged with the sport now – from seven-year-olds to a Masters international against Ireland, and all driven by dozens of volunteers who are involved because they love Rugby League.”

Davies, himself a former Wales Under-19s international, continued:

“We’ve had a 201% increase in participation since 2021. That’s been across all forms of the sport, with the success of Cardiff Demons in Women’s Rugby League and North Wales Crusaders in Wheelchair Rugby League – and our Women’s and Wheelchair teams are both preparing to play in next year’s Rugby League World Cup in Australia.

“We have 40 Wales-qualified players at Betfred Super League clubs on Scholarship or Academy contracts – the decision-makers at the leading Super League clubs know that Wales is still a hotbed of rugby talent, with many similarities to the traditional Rugby League heartlands of the north, and many of those talented youngsters are better-suited to League.

“But at the moment we’re delivering this largely through the efforts of volunteers. That’s one of the reasons Clive and I were so pleased to have the chance to address the Rugby League Parliamentary Group, to go through the progress we’ve made but also to show how much more we could do if we received a level of financial support which better reflects our position in Wales.”

The Wales RL will shortly be announcing further international fixtures for their Men’s and Women’s teams in 2025.