Jamaica v Ireland: We'll bring new fans to rugby league World Cup says ex-Leeds Rhinos ace Ashton Golding

The Reggae Boys are based in Leeds and begin their tournament against Ireland at Headingley on Sunday.

Golding hopes Leeds’ Caribbean community will get behind the side, as well as England fans looking for a second team to cheer on.

There has been a carnival atmosphere at previous Jamaica games in this country and Golding said: “I’d hope there’ll be some external support, given the large West Indian community within the UK.”

He insisted: “Hopefully we can bring something a bit different to rugby league, that feel and atmosphere people aren’t quite accustomed to when they go to a rugby league game.

“If we can do that, hopefully that will interest some people and they’ll tag along with us. In 2019 when we played England Knights at Headingley we proved ourselves.

“We went into communities rugby league doesn’t go into - we went to Carnival and the Black Music Festival, places Jamaican heritage people would be and in there we unlocked 8,000 fans at Headingley.

“That’s the most we’ve ever got, but also the biggest crowd England Knights have played in front of.”

The full-back stressed: “I do believe we can unlock new fans, but we have to have that willingness.

“Do we want to bring in a new breed of fans or are we happy carrying on as we are? I’d say let’s do the first one because to grow the sport we have to entice and encourage other people - we have to say ‘this is rugby league, this is the product we’ve got’.

“If they like it, they will come and watch. If they don’t, at least we will have tried. The potential we have got to improve the game is massive.

“If the talent from the island filters through to the NRL or Super League or there’s an American league one day, it can only be good for the sport.”

Golding, 26, played for Rhinos, his home city club, from 2013-2019 before joining Huddersfield Giants.

The full-back made his debut for Jamaica in 2017 and was man of the match when they beat USA four years ago in Jacksonville, Florida, to qualify for their first World Cup.

Jamaica go into the tournament as massive underdogs, with bookies offering them a 38-point start in the handicap for Sunday’s fixture.

But Golding- one of only three Super League players in their 24-man squad - said: “There’s a saying in Jamaica ‘we likkle but we tallawah’.

“That essentially means there’s no hope we can do anything, but we believe. The Jamaican people are resilient and they can endure.

“I think we will be all right if we have got that kind of belief and that effort. In rugby league skill gets you so far, but attitude, effort and desire gets you over the line.

“If we can nail that, I think we will go well. The World Cup being postponed probably worked in our favour, we got a lot more people on board, sponsorship-wise and also players-wise and we are in a decent place.”