The Jamaica Rugby League Association (JRLA) recently announced the rebranding of the domestic Jamaica ‘A’ team to the Jamaica Hurricanes.

The rebranding is seen as part of an overall refocus as the JRLA steps up its game across the board and particularly to create meaningful pathways for domestic athletes to audition for the full national squad, the Reggae Warriors.

There was an original Hurricanes Jamaica initiative established years ago to provide local players with a pathway to play in more evolved leagues in the USA. However, due to the recent surge in Jamaican rugby league activity on the island and the inherent costs for such a venture, that plan was shelved years ago.

Instead Jamaica has focused on building the National Club Championship (NCC) and Parish of Residence (POR) Series as elite level competitions.

The Jamaica ‘A’ team has traditionally been made up of the best local-based players who compete against touring clubs or representative teams. The team has previously toured the United Kingdom in 2010, and will play as Jamaica Hurricanes for the first time when they face the USARL South All-Stars rugby league team on May 9 in Lakeland, Orlando.

Their last outing as Jamaica ‘A’ was a fiercely contested match against England Lionhearts at the UWI Bowl in Kingston, which they lost 12-32.

The team will have its own logo and have inked a new team wear partnership with Stag Sportswear in the UK.

“We feel it’s the right time to acknowledge the best of our domestic talent under the Jamaica Hurricanes banner. We have established a clear pathway for the best Jamaica rugby league players to progress through. The best players from our college and club competitions are selected to trial for the Parish of Residence (POR) Red and Blue Teams. The best players from POR Blue and Red teams are then selected to the Jamaica Hurricanes Team, and the best players from the Hurricanes are selected to Jamaica’s full international team, the Reggae Warriors,” said JRLA Director Romeo Monteith.

“Our partnership with Stag Sportswear shows that there is an appetite from the international business community to support our domestic-based team,” he added.

Reggae Warriors Lead Coach [and founder of the original Hurricanes, Roy Calvert has been named as head coach of the Jamaica Hurricanes.

“I’m delighted to see the rebirth of the Hurricanes name in a meaningful and important way. The original Hurricanes were always designed to give Jamaica-based talent a chance to test themselves against more elite opponents, so the best Jamaican players will once again gather under the Hurricanes banner to take on the best domestic talent in the Southern USA,” said Calvert.

Rob Staines, director of Stag Sportswear, said: “Stag Sportswear is delighted to extend our partnership with Rugby League Jamaica. Following our fanwear range from 2019, our supply of on-field wear for the Jamaica Hurricanes is a perfect opportunity to bring the Stag brand, and our quality products to wider markets.”