By Charlie Bennett

Jamaica have named their match-day squad for their first ever Rugby League World Cup match, as they prepare to face Ireland at Headingley on Sunday.

The Reggae Warriors will be captained by Ashton Golding, who is one of three Huddersfield Giants players in the squad alongside Michael Lawrence and Kieran Rush.

George King captains an Ireland squad packed with quality thanks to the likes of three-time NRL champion Luke Keary and Leeds Rhinos’ beaten Super League Grand Finalists Richie Myler and James Bentley.

The teams meet at 5pm and will kick-off Group C, which also contains New Zealand and Lebanon.

Jamaica: 2. Mo Agoro, 15. Jorge Andrade, 22. Chevaughan Bailey, 3. Joe Brown, Ashton Golding (captain), 19. Bradley Ho, 20. Greg Johnson, 1. Ben Jones-Bishop, 17. Aaron Jones-Bishop, 10. Michael Lawrence, 18. Abevia McDonald, 4. Jacob Ogden, 21. Ross Peltier, 7. Kieran Rush, 24. Andrew Simpson, 16. Keenan Tomlinson, 11. AJ Wallace, 6. James Woodburn-Hall, 5. Alex Young.

Ireland: 11. James Bentley, 8. Liam Byrne, 4. Ed Chamberlain, 9. Josh Cook, 12. Frankie Halton, 22. James Hasson, 10. Jaimin Jolliffe, 6. Luke Keary, 7. Joe Keyes, 4. Toby King, 13. George King (captain), 17. James McDonnel, 19. Ronan Michael, 1. Richie Myler, 24. Dan Norman, 14. Brendan O’Hagan, 16. Harry Rushton, 2. Innes Senior, 20. Louis Senior.

Head-to-head

This will be just the second ever meeting between Jamaica and Ireland; Jamaica emerged victorious in their only previous match-up, defeating Ireland by a margin of 52 points in Dublin in October 2016 (68-16).

Fun fact

Ireland have won two of their last three games at the Rugby League World Cup including a 34-6 win over Wales in their most recent fixture; they haven’t won back-to-back games at the tournament since winning three on the bounce during the 2000 edition.

Jamaica record

Ranked 21st, Jamaica are the lowest-ranked nation at the Rugby League World Cup but they have been building for this tournament ever since they qualified in 2018.

READ MORE: Six players to watch at the Rugby League World Cup

A 16-10 win away to the USA in Jacksonville punched their ticket and also bagged the Americas Rugby League Championship.

Ireland record

Sunday will mark the beginning of Ireland’s fifth World Cup campaign but they have not reached the knock-out stages since 2008.

READ MORE: Meet men's Group C

The Wolfhounds, who are ranked 12th in the world, have not played since 2019 due to the Covid pandemic but have won five of their last seven matches, including a 25-4 win against Italy in qualification.

Players to watch

• Jamaica have three Huddersfield Giants players in their squad but keep an eye out for Workington winger Alex Young. The speedster is the brother of England’s Dom Young and will be hoping to make his mark.
• Ireland’s George King has crossed for a try in two of his last three international appearances, including one in a 25-4 win over Italy in his most recent game. He is joined by his brother Toby in the squad for the first time this year.

The Rugby League World Cup promises to be the biggest, best and most inclusive event in the sport’s 127-year history with men’s, women’s and wheelchair teams competing in 61 games across 21 venues throughout England. Tickets are available via rlwc2021.com/tickets