IRL Women's Rugby League World Series

Sun 26th October 2025   - KO  15:30 - Terry Fox Track & Field Stadium , Canada
Official: Tara Jones (England)

Fiji

62

FT

4

Half Time
28 - 4

Nigeria

Tries

Maria Paseka (8)
Leilani Asham (12,43,78)
Ebony Laing (14)
Cassie Staples (17,31,48,56)
Tahlia Marshall (20)
Naomi Tegu (72)

Success Iyoha (38)

Goals

Luisa Yaranamu (9/11)

Shondell Akhabue (0/1)

Match preview: Fiji, Nigeria name squads for World Series final

Fiji players have paid tribute to their Nigeria counterparts as they prepare to play the African giantkillers for a place in IRL Rugby League World Cup 2026.

The Bulikula will meet the Green Falcons in the final of the IRL Women’s World Series 2025 at Terry Fox Stadium in Brampton, Canada, with the winner to claim the eighth and final women’s berth at next year’s World Cup.

Nigeria beat Kenya in a two-match series to qualify for the inaugural World Series and warmed up for the tournament with back-to-back wins against Ghana before stunning Ireland last Tuesday to keep their RLWC26 hopes alive.

If they were to spring another upset against Fiji, the Green Falcons would be the first women’s team from Africa to qualify for a Rugby League World Cup.

After watching Nigeria’s 10-0 defeat of Ireland, Bulikula captain Cass Staples said the Pacific nation would not underestimate the Green Falcons.

“Nigeria have come a long way in the rugby league world, and I am really excited to see them make their own leaps and bounds in rugby league in Nigeria and across the globe,” Staples said.

“I am impressed with their game, but we are focused on our game and the task at hand. We are aware of what Nigeria can do but this week’s been about us.

“We have had a really great week, we know we have a job ahead of us and our first task is to win.”

 Nigeria coach Bolu Fagborun said his players were still buzzing from their win over Ireland – the first time the Green Falcons had played an opponent from outside of Africa – and would approach the Fiji clash with nothing to lose.

“I have told them that there is a bigger mountain to climb now so they need to stay focused and stay switched on,” Fagborun said.

“We are 80 minutes from a World Cup, and we want to leave everything out here in Canada and make sure we have put ourselves in the best situation we can do to qualify for the World Cup.

“We want to have no regrets so we have pushed on no short cuts and staying as a unified team. We have just focused on the really good things we need to do to, in essence, do a bit of a giant killing.

“I think the Ireland game has already taken things to another level but qualification for the World Cup would really draw in not just people who have their eyes on rugby league but all sports lovers in Nigeria would pay attention to what we have done here.”

Fiji’s outside backs proved too hard to handle for Canada, with Maria Paseka scoring a hat-trick and Isabella Waterman and Tahlia Marshall each finishing with two tries in their 48-0 win.

Fagborun said the Green Falcons would play to their strengths, rather than try to counter the Bulikula out wide.

“We have spoken about Fiji and they possess some really good players,’ he said. “There is no way not to confront that but we have practiced some of the simple things that we did really well against Ireland and have been working on them so we can bring them to the Fiji game.

“I thought our forwards were really good and did a really good job in and around the ruck as well. We have been working on a really simple game plan for ourselves. We are really physical, really tough, really resilient and will just see what the game can bring.”

Both teams have named unchanged squads for the World Series final.

Fiji Bulikula

Tahila Marshall (Brisbane Tigers), Teaghan Hartigan, Ebony Laing, Sienna Laing (Burleigh Bears), Sereana Naitokatoka, Isabella Waterman (Canberra Raiders), Latisha Smythe (Canterbury Bulldogs), Cassie Staples (Cronulla Sharks), Elizabeth Naleba, Tanika Newton (Ipswich Jets), Leilani Asham (Newcastle Knights), Rory Muller (Paramatta Eels), Josiliva Vere Moceinacagi (Police Sharks), Kelilani Manu, Luisa Yaranamu (South Sydney Rabbitohs), Maria Paseka (St George Illawarra Dragons), Naomi Tegu, Kinisalote Vusawa  (USP Raiders), Joy Levy, (Wests Tigers)

Nigeria squad

Chinaza Abbah, Faustina Akeje (Canterbury Bulldogs), Rachel Iliya, Endurance Ukwuoma, Blessing Umude (Eko Trinity), Rukayat Akinade, Blessing Aladeyelu, Lauretta Bayere, Adaeze Innocent (Lagos Bulls), Danyelle Shobanjo (London Broncos), Fedelia Omoghan (Ontario Ospreys), Catherine Akeje (Oran Park Gregory Hills Chargers), Adeola King (Ottawa Tigers RL), Vera Akhihiero, Success Iyoha, Abiola Obazuaye, Becky Okitikpe (R2 Finesse Academy), Shondell Akhabue (Wentworthville Magpies), Siobhan Sheerin (Unattached)

26 October 2025
5 Staples
Full Back
Aladeyelu 1
11 Marshall
Right Wing
Iyoha 2
2 Waterman
Right Centre
Obazuaye 3
3 Laing
Left Centre
Sheerin 4
15 Paseka
Left Wing
Ukwuoma 5
9 Naitokatoka
Stand Off
Akhabue 6
7 Yaranamu
Scrum Half
Adaeze 7
8 Asham
Prop
King 8
6 Hartigan
Hooker
Okitikpe 9
10 Smythe
Prop
Omoghan 10
17 Newton
Second Row
Iliya 11
12 Naleba
Second Row
Akhihiero-Pedro 12
13 Manu
Loose Forward
Akeje 13
1 Muller
Int 1
Abbah 14
4 Levy
Int 2
Bayere 15
14 Laing
Int 3
Akinade 16
16 Tegu
Int 4
Shobanjo 17
19 Vusawa
Reserve 1
Olaniyan 18

An emotional Joe Dakuitoga declared the Bulikula’s qualification for next year’s World Cup was not just a boost for women’s rugby league in Fiji - but all women’s sport.

Fiji secured the eighth and final women’s RLWC26 berth with a 62-4 defeat of Nigeria in the final of IRL Rugby League World Series at Terry Fox Stadium in Brampton, Ontario on Sunday.

It is the first time the Bulikula have qualified for a World Cup and Dakuitoga choked back tears as he spoke of the role development programs in Fiji had played in the team’s success.

“As I have said before, we want to qualify for this World Cup … I am so emotional, it has been a journey for the past few years and to be here and to qualify for the World Cup I can’t believe it,” Dakuitoga said.

“For us it is a big achievement. We started this program in 2019, then it stopped for a while (because of COVID) and it started again in 2023.

“To be here in 2025 and to qualify for the World Cup it is a big boost for the sport of women’s rugby league in Fiji and I think all over for the world.

“We want to promote gender equality in Fiji, and we have especially tried to lift the standard of women’s sport in Fiji, not only rugby league.

“If the men can compete in the World Cup, why not the women. We are so blessed to be part of the 2026 World Cup.“

The Bulikula squad that travelled to Canada for the World Series included four players from the Fiji National Rugby League’s Rise Rookie program.

Despite losing NRLW stars Talei Holmes, Taine Naividi and Lusana Lutu before the tournament, the Bulikula managed to post a 48-0 win over Canada in the semi-final and conceded just one try in the first half against Nigeria.

Buliluka captain Cass Staples scored four tries in the final while prop Leilani Asham, who plays for the Newcastle Knights, finished with a hat-trick.

Staples praised the growth of the game in Fiji and also paid tribute to the efforts of Nigeria and the other teams at the World Series – Canada and Ireland.

“I am a bit lost for words but incredibly proud of the group we have got today and where the program is heading in Fiji,” Staples said.

“Nigeria were extremely physical so they gave us a run for our money in terms of physicality out on the field. They are not a light side, and I look forward to the growth of their program as well and the development of rugby league in their country.

Fiji will join Australia, New Zealand, England, Papua New Guinea, Samoa, France and Wales as the eight women’s teams contesting RLWC26 in Australia and PNG at the end of next season.

“Rugby league is growing across the globe, and we are seeing that here with the connections on and off the field,” Staples said.

“I can’t be any more prouder of the girls who are here today and the nations who have taken part in this World Series. I think it is a credit and a statement to the growth of the game across the globe.”

Nigeria coach Bolu Fagborun said his players would take a lot from the experience of playing in the inaugural IRL Women's World Series.

"I think the women have done their country and Middle East Africa Rugby League really proud," he said.

"They put a hell of a performance in the first game, the second game Fiji had a lot of class and experience and skill. It was a lot for the women to go up against but it also raises the bar if you want to get to a World Cup. It gave us something to aspire to."

 

 

Photo: Colin Watson

26 October 2025