OUR MEN'S PROGRAMME (2014-PRESENT DAY)

The birth of the HANetf National team (named the Leopards) came 7 years after the introduction of the game to the country. In 2014 Ghana Rugby League assembled an All Stars team and National select side to take on the Great Britain Student Pioneers in Accra in a Two Test Series. The performance programme in the country then went on hiatus up until the lead in to the MEA Championships  in 2019, when the National team were selected and went on to compete in their first ever sanctioned matches versus Nigeria and Cameroon. 

COVID UPDATE - The pandemic brought to a halt all activity in 2020 with no international fixtures being played. With the game returning in 2021, the MEA tournament was still on pause, and RLFG were able to complete a significant domestic performance programme detailed below. 

As the RLFG managed the exit of the pandemic, with club activity returning and more players engaging in the game than ever before, the HANetf National team and the Leopards went from strength to strength. After a successful Origin Series to unearth the best 20 domestic players, the National Team faced off against the Presidents XIII in September, which was broadcast live for the first time ever on GTV+. Interest continued to accelerate with Oxford University being the first true student rugby league side to tour West Africa in July of 2022.

Both the Presidents XIII and the Hanetf National team took on Oxford University Rugby League Club, the Blues defeating a valiant Presidents XIII, then being outmuscled by the Leopards to succumb their first ever loss whilst on tour. The back end of the 2022 window saw our attention turn to the Middle East Africa Rugby League Championships, Ghana winning the bid to host the tournament in Accra. A successful pool match against Kenya (26-6 win) saw the Leopards face off in the final for the first time, again against 2019 counterparts Nigeria. In a fierce contest, on a wet and sodden afternoon at the University of Ghana, Nigeria ran out 30-4 victors. 

In 2023 and 2024, with an imminent restructure of the international calendar and world cup realignment and qualifying process the Ghana National team have had to look at the international Origin and Presidents Cup pathway only, with sanctioned tests expected to return in November 2025 and an update on the MEA pathway. 

In its short history the National Team has also welcomed Heritage Players from both the UK and Australia, and if you have links through Ghanaian parents and or grandparents, you will be eligible to represent Ghana. We are currently ranked 31 in the World via the  IRL system. 

OUR WOMEN'S TEAM (2023 - PRESENT DAY)

As the focus on our women's programme has accelerated since the maiden 2021 league competition, the explosion of talent has also allowed us to create a pathway for our most talented of players to stake their claim on the international stage. After an origin and presidents selection process in 2022, the Leopards embarked on a 3 games series with Nigeria, travelling to Lagos in November 2023, then returning the hosting duties at the University of Accra in January 2024. 

The team will now be turning their focus to potential tests in November 2025.

OUR YOUTH TEAM (2024 - PRESENT DAY)

2024 saw the birth of our Under 19's programme as the National Team faced off against the Presidents XIII. This is the first step for the nation to buiding a framework to create international competition with the hope of official sanctioned tests to come to fruition in late 2025. 

OUR MEN's RESULTS

GAME 1: LOSS V NIGERIA 12-23 | October 3 2019 (MEA CHAMPIONSHIPS)

GAME 2: WIN V CAMEROON 10-4 | October 6 2019 (MEA CHAMPIONSHIPS)

GAME 3: WIN V PRESIDENTS XIII  30-16  | September 26 2021 (None sanctioned)

GAME 4: WIN V OXFORD UNIVERSITY  52-30 | July 9 2022 (None sanctioned)

GAME 5: WIN V KENYA 26-6 | September 28 2022 (MEA CHAMPIONSHIPS)

GAME 6: LOSS V NIGERIA 4-30 | October 1 2022 (MEA CHAMPIONSHIPS)

GAME 7: DRAW V PRESIDENTS XIII 20-20 | October 21 2023 (None sanctioned)

GAME 8: LOSS V PRESIDENTS XIII 18-20 | November 24 2024 (None sanctioned)

OUR YOUTH RESULTS

GAME 1: WIN V Presidents XIII 26-6 | November 24 2004 (None sanctioned)

GHANA v CAMEROON 2019

THE NATIONAL RUGBY LEAGUE TEAM v THE PRESIDENTS XIII - SEPTEMBER 2021