Wales will face Italy in qualification for Rugby League World Cup
Wednesday 4 November 2015 18:32, UK
Wales will take on old rivals Italy as part of their quest for a place in the 2017 Rugby League World Cup.
Italy beat Wales during the 2013 tournament and are yet to be defeated by their European rivals, with their group for the qualifying tournament completed by Serbia.
Wales will take on Serbia at home on the weekend of October 16, 2016, before travelling to Italy a fortnight later.
Only the Group A winner is guaranteed a place in the tournament proper, with the runner-up taking on the runner-up in Group B, featuring Ireland, Russia and Spain, for the last of 14 berths.
Wales coach John Kear said: "Italy is probably the toughest draw we could have got.
"They've a lot of Australian-Italian players to choose from and we know from 2013, where they beat both England and Wales, how well they can play.
"We don't know too much about Serbia apart from the fact that they've had a good 2015 and have done well to qualify for this stage.
"We won't underestimate anyone. We'll prepare well, like we have done for this year's European Championship, and we'll go into the World Cup qualifiers with a professional outlook.
"If our players they keep developing the way they are right now, there's no reason why we can't qualify then go down under in 2017 and make a good account of ourselves."
