Storm brewing as Ireland prepare for World Series

Ireland’s Storm Cobain (right) has welcomed their recent game against France as ideal preparation for entering the IRL Women’s World Series in Canada later this year, the winner of which will take up the final spot in the 2026 Women’s Rugby League World Cup in Australia and Papua New Guinea.

The Belfast-born back rower feels that their performance against the highest ranked nation they’ve faced will stand them in good stead for what’s to come. “It was tough, we had five girls on debut some of whom had never played the sport before, which is still developing back home in Ireland.

“For experience and to get to know where we need to be it was really important,” she said of the 34-4 defeat at Garda Westmanstown RFC in Dublin in searing heat. “It’s great preparation for what’s to come, I woke up sore the next day! France were clinical but we were proud of how we pushed them.

“No one likes to be beaten, but when you think about how far we’ve come, it was a very positive performance.”

Cobain’s route to rugby league is an unusual one, as she explained: “I came over to England to study at university and ended up staying persuing a career in teaching.

“I was living in Luton and that was during Covid. I got a little bit bored of not having rugby to play and league was the first sport back, so I went down to Bedford Tigers women for a trial session and it developed from that.

“That was in the middle of May 2021 and Ireland were having trials in the July and my coach told me that I needed to go. At the end of the session John Whalley, the Ireland women’s coach at the time, told me I was in.

"I wasn’t aware at the time that we would be the first team for Ireland women, we played against Wales in October that year and I’ll forever have that heritage number 11.”

She added: “You’re always privileged to pull on the green jersey but to be part of history is an incredible feeling.”

Ireland women played Wales and Netherlands in the World Cup Qualifiers and then Greece in an eliminator, just missing out to the Welsh but ensuring their trip to Canada as Europe’s representatives in the repechage, to initially face Nigeria.

“It’s a dream come true,” Cobain, currently skipper of Women’s Super League side Leigh, acknowledged. “We so want to play in a World Cup. It was one of the main reasons I moved from Luton to the north to get more chance to play at a high level and fully focus on rugby league.

“To get into the World Series is an exciting prospect and now we are aiming to be the first Irish women’s team to play in a World Cup in the sport.

"We’ve no idea what to expect from Nigeria initially, we know they will be physically tough, but we’ve gained confidence from the French performance going into that game, and now have footage to work from where we can make the necessary fixes.”

IRL WOMEN'S WORLD SERIES 2025

Venue: Terry Fox Stadium, Brampton, Ontario

Tuesday, October 21
Semi-final: Ireland v Nigeria (3.30pm)
Semi-final: Canada v Fiji (6pm)

Sunday, October 26
Third-place play-off: Semi-final losers (1pm)
Final: Semi-final winners (3.30pm)