NEW Wales coach Paul Berry’s first matches at the helm will be against Ireland.
The nations will face off for the first time since 2018, at Neath on Saturday, October 25, then at Featherstone seven days later, Saturday, November 1, with both kicking-off at 3pm.
The Neath showdown forms the second part of a double-header, with Wales A meeting UK Armed Forces at 11.30am.
Former Woolston Rovers skipper Berry, 41 (pictured), who works in the Warrington development system and became part of Wales’ age-group coaching set-up in 2019 then head of youth in 2023, replaced long-serving John Kear as men’s team chief in July.
With the Dragons having been knocked out of the qualification process for next year’s World Cup (as a result of their 48-6 defeat by France in Saint-Esteve in their last outing last October), he is now building towards the 2030 tournament.
“We’re excited to have two games ahead of us,” he said. “In recent years, we’ve seen players from our youth pathways have success at age-group level and earn contracts with Super League Academy and Reserve squads.
“It’s now about giving some of those players exposure to the full international arena.
“We still have some established players in the professional and semi-professional game to call on, and their experience will be invaluable as we introduce the next generation.”
Ireland are coached by Ged Corcoran, and their last match was the 36-6 win over Scotland at Gateshead last October.
Like Scotland, they were ruled out of competing in the 2026 World Cup after they were stripped of full member status by the International Rugby League in March 2024 for failing to comply with the terms of the body’s membership policy.