Nigeria began their preparations for the upcoming IRL Women’s Rugby League World Series with a 40-0 defeat of Ghana in the first of the two international matches between the African nations at Alaro City, Lagos

The Green Falcons led 12-0 at halftime and finished too strong, with lock Faustina Akeje, from Canterbury Bulldogs, and interchange forward Lauretta Bayere, from Lagos Bulls, each scoring two second half tries.

Nigeria coach Luke Shearman said the match would help ready the team for World Series in Canada later this month, with the Green Falcons taking on Ireland on October 21 at Terry Fox Stadium, Brampton.

The winner will then face the victor of the Canada-Fiji semi-final on October 26 for the final women’s berth at Rugby League World Cup 2026 in Australia and Papua New Guinea.

“Today’s game was a strong reflection of how far we’ve come in a short period of time,” Shearman said. “While we made several errors, the team showed great resilience and commitment to keep pushing through.

“It took us a while to find our rhythm, but once we did, it was rewarding to see the hard work translate onto the field. There’s still plenty for us to improve before Saturday’s game, but this was a valuable test and an important step forward for the squad.”

The two nations will meet again on Saturday, October 11 and Ghana coach Riddick Alibah is confident his side can improve.

“The ladies did well - they played with heart and commitment. The scoreline didn’t quite reflect their effort, but overall, it was a good performance,” Alibah said.

“It was a big blow that we missed out on some key players, but those who stepped in gave everything. We’ll take the lessons from this game, build on them, and come back stronger on Saturday.”