South Africa gearing up for RLWC qualifier against Cook Islands

South Africa Rhinos coach Darryl Fisher believes November’s World Cup qualifier against Cook Islands in Sydney could double as an opportunity for his players to impress for an NRL contract.

The Rhinos will take on the Aitu at CommBank Stadium on November 9, as part of a triple header with the men’s and women’s Pacific Cup finals, for the 10^th spot at the 2026 World Cup in Australia and Papua New Guinea.

There are currently no players with South African heritage in the NRL but with the Perth Bears due to join the competition in 2027, the rugby union-obsessed nation is a potential recruiting ground for the new club.

“The guys we have in our squad have been really professional, they are good athletes and some of them could perform at a high level if given opportunities, so this might be an opportunity for them to showcase their talents to NRL clubs,” Fisher said.

The Rhinos squad includes players in Australia and South Africa, and members of his coaching team are also in both countries, including Perth rugby league stalwart Isaac Thomas and former Balmain forward Hudson Smith.

Deon Kraemer and Gilbert Modrau are the South African-based assistant coaches.

Fisher, who played in the NRL for Wests Magpies, now faces of the task of assessing the talent at his disposal and plans to select an extended squad ahead of the RLWC2026 qualifier.

“I’ll go over in September and we are hoping to have an international or an internal regional match to give the guys an opportunity to play at a high level at that point,” said Fisher, who has an extensive coaching career in New Zealand, Australia and England.

“We are hoping to get a reasonable number of players over here into camp and our plan is that we might have a wider squad of over 30 players and can hopefully have a friendly game or a warm-up game of some sort so everyone gets some game time.

“Then we can select the final squad to play in the World Cup qualifier.”

The most recognisable name in the likely World Cup squad is former Manly and North Queensland secondrower Ben Condon, while a handful of others play or have played in the NSW or Queensland Cup competitions.

Photo: Ben Condon played for Manly Sea Eagles and North Queensland Cowboys (NRL Photos).

They include North Sydney Bears playmaker Coby Thomas, halfback Kam Cryer, who now plays in the Illawarra competition, St Mary’s lock Aden Perry, Perth-based former Tweed Heads Seagulls forward Shane Gillham, Mackay's Ethan Sweet and Souths Logan centre Kobe Martin.

Most of the players in South Africa, where the game has a presence in Pretoria and is growing in Cape Town, also play rugby union, which has a huge pool of talent.

“Some of the guys in South Africa have played rugby union at a high level but we just don’t know where they are at league-wise,” Fisher said.

“I have said to them that they are often playing rugby union with rugby league rules.

“Originally, we were thinking the squad will be 50-50, but I would love a decent level rugby union player with athletic ability to just pop out of the woodwork and pick up the game really quickly. You never know what they are capable of.”

Before the short-lived Perth Reds entered the NRL in 1995, the club established an academy team which toured South Africa and recruited rugby union converts.

Fisher said the Perth Bears could provide a similar opportunity for the game and players in South Africa.

“There has been a lot of talk about how it would a logical progression for them to look at the talent that there is in South Africa,” he said.

“I think the playing numbers are something like 450,000 registered players under the age of 16 and you have only got a handful of professional sides, so you would have to think there is a lot of talented kids in their late teens looking for opportunities.

“It’s tapping into the market somehow. Physically a lot of them might be better suited to playing league because they are big, strong, fast athletes who love contact, so you would have to think there is potential there for them.”

RLWC2026 qualifier

November 9, 2025
CommBank Stadium, Sydney
Cook Islands Aitu v South Africa Rhinos

*Winner becomes 10th qualifier for RLWC2026