Former Super League player leading Nigeria’s World Cup push

NIGERIA are bidding this year to qualify for their first World Cup, led by a former Super League player.

Bolu Fagborun, who played for Huddersfield as well as Rochdale, Batley and Sheffield in the 2000s, is now the head coach of their women’s team.

They are playing in a World Series this autumn, alongside Canada, Ireland, and Fiji, at a to-be-decided location, and the winners of that competition will play at the 2026 World Cup in Australia and Papua New Guinea.

The national side, known as the Green Falcons, only began playing in 2023 – four years after the men’s team was set up – and won a two-legged regional qualifier in Kenya last year.

Fagborun is currently looking to grow the team by finding sponsors and eligible players in England and Australia, including through a trip down under this spring.

“We will host events up and down the coast with Rugby League clubs,” said Fagborun.

“I’ll be spending some time with Wests Tigers and Penrith Panthers, to understand a little more about the culture of Rugby League and how we can develop that in Nigeria, and to just raise the profile of Nigerian Rugby League.

“We’ve identified five or six potential players out there who could help our domestic team. They won’t know a lot about Nigerian rugby, so going out there and putting a face to Nigerian rugby helps.”

Fagborun is raising funds towards the trip and contributions can be made at justgiving.com/crowdfunding/boluaji-fagborun-1.

The World Series is seen as a particularly strong opportunity to raise the profile of Nigerian Rugby League at home and abroad.

The women’s game alone has quickly grown to include six adult teams in a domestic competition, as well as 2,000 children playing in schools.

“Playing in Kenya (at altitude) showed me how tough these women are,” said Fagborun, who also works for the Bradford Bulls Foundation and set up Birkenshaw Bluedogs’ girls section.

“Some of the women have been playing American football and about half of them play rugby union as well, so many have had exposure to physical sports.

“They’ve really good heart but we probably need to improve a bit of our Rugby League knowledge, because the competition out there domestically is still improving. It’s on an upward trajectory, but coming from only starting in 2019.

“There is potential in the region, not just in Nigeria but in Kenya and Ghana as well. It takes a big shot in the arm and the World Series will hopefully be that.”