The
Scotland national rugby league team represent
ScotlandScotland is a country that is part of the United Kingdom. Occupying the northern third of the island of Great Britain, it shares a border with England to the south and is bounded by the North Sea to the east, the Atlantic Ocean to the north and west, and the North Channel and Irish Sea to the...
in international rugby league football tournaments. The team is run under the auspices of the
Scotland Rugby LeagueThe Scottish Rugby Football League is the governing body for rugby league football in Scotland. It administers the Scotland national rugby league teams jointly with the Rugby Football League....
, and are nicknamed
The Bravehearts. Scotland are not regarded as a
testA Test match in rugby league football is a representative match between teams representing members of the Rugby League International Federation.The definition of a Test match differs from that of an international match...
nation. Following the breakup of the
Great BritainThe Great Britain national rugby league team represents the United Kingdom in rugby league football. Administered by the Rugby Football League , the team is nicknamed "The Lions" or "Great Britain Lions"....
team, Scottish players will now play solely for Scotland, apart from occasional
Southern HemisphereThe Southern Hemisphere is the part of Earth that lies south of the equator. The word hemisphere literally means 'half ball' or "half sphere"...
tours, for which the Great Britain team is expected to be revived.
Though its foundations may date back to as early as 1904, the team formally began in 1995, making them the newest international rugby league team in
Great BritainGreat Britain or Britain is an island situated to the northwest of Continental Europe. It is the ninth largest island in the world, and the largest European island, as well as the largest of the British Isles...
. In their first match they played
IrelandThe Ireland national rugby league team, known as the Wolfhounds, represent the island of Ireland in rugby league football. The team is organized by Rugby League Ireland and are accredited as an affiliate member of the Rugby League International Federation...
, losing narrowly. Since then, Ireland has become the team's main rival, the two teams having played each other many times in their short histories. Scotland have also played the
United States-2008 & 2013 Rugby League World Cup Qualifying:In October 2006, The Tomahawks were to participate in a four team Atlantic qualifying pool for the 2008 Rugby League World Cup, but South Africa and the West Indies withdrew. As a result, The Atlantic qualifying pool was reduced to a single game...
,
FranceThe France national rugby league team represent France in international rugby league tournaments. They are also sometimes referred to as "Les Tricolores" or more commonly "Les Chanticleers"...
and
Russia-2008 World Cup Qualifying:In 2006 Russia were involved in Europe Round One, defeating Netherlands national rugby league team and Serbia national rugby league team to finish second and keep their World Cup dream alive. They then went through to Europe Round Two in Europe Pool Two with Ireland and...
amongst others, although they have never played their traditional rival
EnglandThe England national rugby league team represent England in international rugby league football tournaments. The team has now seen a revival, having largely formed from the Great Britain team, who also represented Wales, Scotland and Ireland. The team is run under the auspices of the Rugby Football...
. In 2000 they qualified for their first ever
World CupThe 2000 Rugby League World Cup was the twelfth staging of the Rugby League World Cup and was held during October and November of that year in Great Britain, Ireland and France...
, but failed to make an impact, losing all three of their group matches; however, their biggest losing margin was just 12 points. In 2008 they beat
WalesThe Wales national rugby league team represent Wales in international rugby league football matches. Currently the team is seventh in the RLIF World Rankings. The team were run under the auspices of the Rugby Football League, but an independent body, Wales Rugby League, now runs the team from...
over two matches to qualify for the
2008 World CupThe 2008 Rugby League World Cup was the thirteenth staging of the Rugby League World Cup since the inauguration of the tournament in 1954, and the first since the 2000 event...
.
Scotland play in a dark blue strip, similar to the nation's
footballThe Scotland national football team represents Scotland in international football and is controlled by the Scottish Football Association. Scotland are the joint oldest national football team in the world, alongside England, whom they played in the world's first international football match in 1872...
and
rugby unionThe Scotland national rugby union team represent Scotland in international rugby union. Rugby union in Scotland is administered by the Scottish Rugby Union. The Scotland rugby union team is currently ranked eighth in the IRB World Rankings as of 19 September 2011...
teams, with blue shirt,
shortsRugby shorts are a type of shorts that are worn while playing rugby. They are designed to take the strains of the game and have traditionally been made from cotton.-IRB Regulations on shorts:...
and socks. A blue and white shield with a
thistleOnopordum acanthium , is a flowering plant in the family Asteraceae. It is native to Europe and Western Asia from the Iberian Peninsula east to Kazakhstan, and north to central Scandinavia, and widely naturalised elsewhere...
, the Scottish emblem, is the team's badge. The shirt has rarely been significantly changed, although in the early days of the team, white was also used on the shirts.
Currently the team is ranked ninth in the world, ahead of
WalesThe Wales national rugby league team represent Wales in international rugby league football matches. Currently the team is seventh in the RLIF World Rankings. The team were run under the auspices of the Rugby Football League, but an independent body, Wales Rugby League, now runs the team from...
but behind the other
home nationsHome Nations is a collective term with one of two meanings depending on the context. Politically, it means the nations of the constituent countries of the United Kingdom...
neighbours
EnglandThe England national rugby league team represent England in international rugby league football tournaments. The team has now seen a revival, having largely formed from the Great Britain team, who also represented Wales, Scotland and Ireland. The team is run under the auspices of the Rugby Football...
and
IrelandThe Ireland national rugby league team, known as the Wolfhounds, represent the island of Ireland in rugby league football. The team is organized by Rugby League Ireland and are accredited as an affiliate member of the Rugby League International Federation...
. In the
Rugby League European FederationThe Rugby League European Federation is the umbrella body for nations playing the sport of rugby league football across Europe and the Northern Hemisphere. It supports the Rugby League International Federation . The RLEF "oversees and co-ordinates the development of the sport in all its member...
, Scotland are ranked fourth behind
IrelandThe Ireland national rugby league team, known as the Wolfhounds, represent the island of Ireland in rugby league football. The team is organized by Rugby League Ireland and are accredited as an affiliate member of the Rugby League International Federation...
but ahead of
LebanonThe Lebanon national rugby league team is the representative side of Lebanon in rugby league football. They are nicknamed "The Cedars" after the Lebanon Cedar tree, which is also on the Lebanese flag. The team has been participating in international competition since 1998 and has quickly became one...
. Englishman
Steve McCormackSteve McCormack is the former head coach of National League One club Widnes. He is currently head coach of Scotland RL and SwintonHis first coaching appointment had been at Salford, who made him the youngest coach in Super League at the age of just 28 in 2001 but was sacked just 10 months later.He...
is the team's coach, having coached since 2004, with
Danny BroughDanny Brough is a Dewsbury born English international rugby league footballer.Danny Brough plays for the Huddersfield Giants in Super League. He has also played for the Scotland...
captaining the side.
Foundations
It could be argued that the foundations for the Scottish team began in 1904. On 5 April 1904 England played an international match against the "
Other NationalitiesThe Other Nationalities rugby league team regularly played international, and also county, rugby league football teams in Europe from 1904 to 1975. The team, created in 1904 to play England in the first ever rugby league international match, was at first made up of Welsh and Scottish players...
", a team of Welshmen and Scotsmen, in
WiganWigan is a town in Greater Manchester, England. It stands on the River Douglas, south-west of Bolton, north of Warrington and west-northwest of Manchester. Wigan is the largest settlement in the Metropolitan Borough of Wigan and is its administrative centre. The town of Wigan had a total...
. It was a 12-a-side game. Of the twelve players who played for the Other Nationalities team two of them were Scotsmen coming from
Northern UnionThe Rugby Football League is the governing body for professional rugby league football in England. Based at Red Hall in Leeds, it administers the England national rugby league team, the Challenge Cup, Super League and the Rugby League Championships...
clubs, including captain George Frater. After 80 minutes the Other Nationalities had beaten England 9-3. The team carried on for another two years, playing England in 1905, losing 26-11, and in 1906, drawing 3-3. The team was regularly revived, most notably in the early 1930s and in 1949.
The Wolfhounds
Both Scotland and Ireland had been developing rugby league in their respective nations for several years. This was especially true at student level, with a Scotland student team having played regularly since 1987 and having competed in the 1992 Students World Cup. But it was decided that the time was right for an open-age national team to attempt to be entered into an
Emerging Nations TournamentThe 1995 Rugby League Emerging Nations Tournament was held alongside the Centenary Rugby League World Cup. Although the competition received little build-up or promotion, the novelty value of the teams taking part encourage relatively large crowds, and the competition was a success...
that would coincide with the
1995 World CupThe 1995 Rugby League World Cup was held during October in the United Kingdom. It was the eleventh staging of the Rugby League World Cup and was marketed as the Halifax Centenary World Cup, reflecting the tournament's sponsorship and the fact that 1995 marked the 100th birthday of the sport...
, that the
Rugby League International FederationThe Rugby League International Federation is the world governing body of rugby league football. It was formed in 1998 in Sydney, Australia. Its purpose is to, "foster, develop, extend, govern and administer the game of Rugby League throughout the world". Its headquarters are in Sydney, Australia,...
had recently announced.
Both
Scotland Rugby LeagueThe Scottish Rugby Football League is the governing body for rugby league football in Scotland. It administers the Scotland national rugby league teams jointly with the Rugby Football League....
and
Rugby League IrelandRugby League Ireland is the internationally recognised governing body for the development of rugby league football in Ireland, having secured official recognition from the RLIF in 2000...
arranged a match on 13 August 1995 at the
Royal Dublin ShowgroundThe Royal Dublin Society was founded on 25 June 1731 to "to promote and develop agriculture, arts, industry, and science in Ireland". The RDS is synonymous with its main premises in Ballsbridge in Dublin, Ireland...
in
Dublin,
IrelandIreland is an island to the northwest of continental Europe. It is the third-largest island in Europe and the twentieth-largest island on Earth...
. However the
Rugby Football LeagueThe Rugby Football League is the governing body for professional rugby league football in England. Based at Red Hall in Leeds, it administers the England national rugby league team, the Challenge Cup, Super League and the Rugby League Championships...
provided no financial support to either team. Luckily the Scotland team managed to get sponsored, and the money was used for the ferry crossing, but each individual player had to pay for basic accommodation. The Scotland squad was largely made up of players who had played in the student squads, but a few professionals were also included.
Just before the start of the match, after the Scottish team had spent a night at a youth hostel, the
Irish Rugby Football UnionThe Irish Rugby Football Union is the body managing rugby union in Ireland. The IRFU has its head office at 10/12 Lansdowne Road and home ground at Aviva Stadium, where Irish rugby union international matches are played...
prevented the teams from getting changed at the arranged Blackrook College. A new location was quickly found but it was half a mile away from the ground, and so the players had to walk that distance in their playing kit.
The match was looking like it would be scoreless at half-time until just before the break, centre Lee Child scored to put Ireland ahead. After the break Scotland hit back, Sean Cusack scoring Scotland's first ever try. Gavin Manclark then scored to propel Scotland into the lead. This did not last long though, as Leo Casey scored for Ireland in the 55th minute. Ireland then scored again, with Seamus McCallion going over. Four minutes later in the 69th minute, Scotland quickly scored two tries with Manclark and Shelford sealing the eight points. However, this was not enough as Ketteridge had only successfully kicked three conversions compared to Ireland's Ian Devery who had kicked five. The match finished with Ireland winning 26-22, but Thompson for Scotland did win Man Of The Match.
1995 Emerging Nations Tournament
After this international Scotland where allowed to take place in the
Emerging Nations TournamentThe 1995 Rugby League Emerging Nations Tournament was held alongside the Centenary Rugby League World Cup. Although the competition received little build-up or promotion, the novelty value of the teams taking part encourage relatively large crowds, and the competition was a success...
, which was to be held in
EnglandEngland is a country that is part of the United Kingdom. It shares land borders with Scotland to the north and Wales to the west; the Irish Sea is to the north west, the Celtic Sea to the south west, with the North Sea to the east and the English Channel to the south separating it from continental...
. On 16 October 1995 at
FeatherstoneFeatherstone is a town and civil parish in the City of Wakefield in West Yorkshire, England. It lies south-west of Pontefract and has a population of 14,175.Featherstone railway station is on the Pontefract Line.-History:...
they faced
Russia-2008 World Cup Qualifying:In 2006 Russia were involved in Europe Round One, defeating Netherlands national rugby league team and Serbia national rugby league team to finish second and keep their World Cup dream alive. They then went through to Europe Round Two in Europe Pool Two with Ireland and...
, who had been playing international rugby league since 1991, in their opening game in Group A. Coached by former
Great BritainThe Great Britain national rugby league team represents the United Kingdom in rugby league football. Administered by the Rugby Football League , the team is nicknamed "The Lions" or "Great Britain Lions"....
and England (despite the fact he was Scottish) player,
George FairbairnGeorge Fairbairn is a Scottish former rugby league footballer and coach. He played club football for Wigan, winning the Man of Steel Award in 1980. Fairbairn was also the fullback and goal-kicker for the Great Britain national team, however he represented the English national team several times,...
, who put together a team of former Scotland students,
rugby unionRugby union, often simply referred to as rugby, is a full contact team sport which originated in England in the early 19th century. One of the two codes of rugby football, it is based on running with the ball in hand...
players, and a few league professionals including
Alan TaitAlan V. Tait is a Scottish rugby footballer and coach. He is currently head coach at Newcastle Falcons and a former rugby league and rugby union footballer who played outside centre for Scotland and the British and Irish Lions...
, who played for
LeedsLeeds Rhinos is an English professional rugby league football club based in Leeds, West Yorkshire. The club won the 2011 Super League and became the most successful club in the Super League era, beating St Helens 32-16 on 8th October 2011. Formed in 1890, Leeds competes in Europe's Super League...
, and who would captain the side. The whole of the Scotland team had hired kilts to be worn pre-match.
The game started off well for Scotland, student James How scoring after just four minutes. And then minutes later Tait doubled the Bravehearts lead. But the Russia Bears dragged themselves back into the match, stand-off Victor Netchaev scoring first, and in the 30th minute Alexander Otradnov scored. Scotland were ahead though at half-time by four points because Russia had failed to convert their tries. In the second half it was all Scotland with only Andrey Scheglov's drop goal adding to the Bears points. On the other hand former Great Britain international Hugh Waddell, Ali Blee and Tait again all scored to seal a Scottish victory.
| Group One Table |
W |
L |
F |
A |
PTS |
| Cook Islands -2008 World Cup Qualifying:See 2008 Rugby League World Cup qualifyingThe Cook Islands played Fiji, Tonga and Samoa in the Pacific pool of Qualifying for the 2008 Rugby League World Cup. Fiji and Tonga qualified, and Samoa earned a second chance in the repecharge round...
|
3 |
0 |
143 |
36 |
6 |
| Scotland |
2 |
1 |
82 |
46 |
4 |
| Russia -2008 World Cup Qualifying:In 2006 Russia were involved in Europe Round One, defeating Netherlands national rugby league team and Serbia national rugby league team to finish second and keep their World Cup dream alive. They then went through to Europe Round Two in Europe Pool Two with Ireland and...
|
1 |
2 |
57 |
118 |
2 |
| United States -2008 & 2013 Rugby League World Cup Qualifying:In October 2006, The Tomahawks were to participate in a four team Atlantic qualifying pool for the 2008 Rugby League World Cup, but South Africa and the West Indies withdrew. As a result, The Atlantic qualifying pool was reduced to a single game...
|
0 |
3 |
48 |
130 |
0 |
Scotland's second match was against the
United States-2008 & 2013 Rugby League World Cup Qualifying:In October 2006, The Tomahawks were to participate in a four team Atlantic qualifying pool for the 2008 Rugby League World Cup, but South Africa and the West Indies withdrew. As a result, The Atlantic qualifying pool was reduced to a single game...
in
NorthamptonNorthampton is a large market town and local government district in the East Midlands region of England. Situated about north-west of London and around south-east of Birmingham, Northampton lies on the River Nene and is the county town of Northamptonshire. The demonym of Northampton is...
, traditionally a
rugby unionRugby union, often simply referred to as rugby, is a full contact team sport which originated in England in the early 19th century. One of the two codes of rugby football, it is based on running with the ball in hand...
city. The Tomahawks were made up of AMNRL players but Scotland took a while to get going. In the twelfth minute winger Rory Lewis unexpected put America ahead, which caused The Bravehearts to start playing well for the remainder fo the first half, Scotland eventually going into the second half leading three tries to one. Graeme Thompson had kicked a penalty very early on in the game, and then after the America try added another four points. McAlister, who had missed the conversion, set up Ketteridge and Smith for Scotland's second and third tries respectively. The Bravehearts extended their lead in the second half, Shelford going over and then David Niu, who could have played for Scotland because of his
DunfermlineDunfermline is a town and former Royal Burgh in Fife, Scotland, on high ground from the northern shore of the Firth of Forth. According to a 2008 estimate, Dunfermline has a population of 46,430, making it the second-biggest settlement in Fife. Part of the town's name comes from the Gaelic word...
born mother, got one back for the States. But Scotland put a victory beyond doubt with Alan Tait setting up Shelford twice for his hat-trick. Late in the game Niu and Steve Tait scored for the United States and Scotland respectively to end the match 38-16 in Scotland's favour.
Scotland's two victories, coupled with the
Cook Islands-2008 World Cup Qualifying:See 2008 Rugby League World Cup qualifyingThe Cook Islands played Fiji, Tonga and Samoa in the Pacific pool of Qualifying for the 2008 Rugby League World Cup. Fiji and Tonga qualified, and Samoa earned a second chance in the repecharge round...
ability to beat the United States and Russia too, set up a deciding match in
CastlefordCastleford is the largest of the "five towns" district in the metropolitan borough of the City of Wakefield, in West Yorkshire, England. It is near Pontefract, and has a population of 37,525 according to the 2001 Census, but has seen a rise in recent years and is now around 45-50,000. To the north...
where the winner would reach the final. 3,000 people turned up to first see Thompson score a penalty after 15 minutes, but then Nigere Tariu slid over to put the Islanders ahead. Just before the break however, Tait charged through three players to put Scotland back in the game. In the second half the Cook Islands, with several NRL players in their ranks, showed their strength as Sonny Shepherd scored a controversial try as Scottish players complained about the grounding. From a play the ball Shepherd went over again and in the 73rd minute Tariu scored a converted try. The Bravehearts did get a late consolation, skipper Tait going over for Scotland's last try before Islander Ali Davys sealed Scotland's fate with a drop-goal. The match finished Scotland 10-21 Cook Islands. In the final the Cook Islands beat Ireland 22-6 in
BuryBury is a town in Greater Manchester, England. It lies on the River Irwell, east of Bolton, west-southwest of Rochdale, and north-northwest of the city of Manchester...
to win the tournament and secure a place in the next World Cup. Despite losing this final match the Scotland team and supporters thought that they had done very well considering how young the team was and how well their performances had been against Russia and the USA.
Glasgow Matches
In 1996 the
Rugby League International FederationThe Rugby League International Federation is the world governing body of rugby league football. It was formed in 1998 in Sydney, Australia. Its purpose is to, "foster, develop, extend, govern and administer the game of Rugby League throughout the world". Its headquarters are in Sydney, Australia,...
rewarded Scotland with full international status which meant that they could start organising more fixtures and there was no longer a limit to the amount of professionals they could use. Before this status Scotland had been restricted to playing just three professionals in a match.
Referee Blows Time On Scots' History Hopes — Daily MailThe Daily Mail is a British daily middle-market tabloid newspaper owned by the Daily Mail and General Trust. First published in 1896 by Lord Northcliffe, it is the United Kingdom's second biggest-selling daily newspaper after The Sun. Its sister paper The Mail on Sunday was launched in 1982...
headline.
Scots In Rage At Bungling Whistler — The SunThe Sun is a daily national tabloid newspaper published in the United Kingdom and owned by News Corporation. Sister editions are published in Glasgow and Dublin...
headline.
The guys are all gutted about it and I am gutted for them. They had come back so well after a mediocre first half. — Coach George FairbairnGeorge Fairbairn is a Scottish former rugby league footballer and coach. He played club football for Wigan, winning the Man of Steel Award in 1980. Fairbairn was also the fullback and goal-kicker for the Great Britain national team, however he represented the English national team several times,...
after the match.
An obvious error took place which changed the outcome of the game. The touch judge clearly indicated an infringement, but in a moment of excitement, the referee decided to go with his own instincts. The guy's distraught about it and realises that he has made a mistake — Referees' director Greg McCallum.
Scotland faced Ireland again in August of that year, and it was to be their first home game, with the match being played at the
Firhill StadiumFirhill Stadium or Firhill Arena is a football, rugby union and rugby league stadium located in the Maryhill area of Glasgow, Scotland. As of 2010 it is the home ground of football club Partick Thistle F.C...
in Glasgow. After 5 minutes Alan Tait touched down with Matt Crowther converting. And then hooker Danny Russell and professional Darren Shaw have the Bravehearts a 14-0 lead at half-time. In the second half after 52 minutes Lee Hanlon scored Ireland's only try of the match, but Martin Ketteridge soon kicked a penalty for Scotland to extend the lead. In the closing stages of the match, after three Irish players had been sinbinned, Darrall Shaleford and Nick Mardon got themselves on the scoreboard with a try each. The match finished Scotland 26-6 Ireland. This is the only time in eight attempts that Scotland have beaten Ireland.
A second match in Glasgow was held in July 1997 against
FranceThe France national rugby league team represent France in international rugby league tournaments. They are also sometimes referred to as "Les Tricolores" or more commonly "Les Chanticleers"...
. The match was to end in controversy surrounding a late try and French referee Thierry Alibert. France had got of to a good start, with Freddie Banquet scoring before Danny Russell and Gary Christie scored a try each to send the Scots in front. However, with a few minutes to go before half-time,
Jerome GuissetJérôme Guisset is a formerFrench professional rugby league player. He recently played for Catalans Dragons as prop or second row, but he retired at the end of the 2010 season, and is now the assistant coach at the club....
scored under the posts to give the French side a 12-10 lead after 40 minutes. After half-time France extended their lead through Fabien Devecchi but once again Scotland rallied together and Stuart McCarthy scored a crucial try, which was not converted. In the 70th minute Matt Crowther scored a try, and converted it, to put Scotland into a 20-18 lead. With just seconds remaining, a storm brewed when referee Alibert awarded a try to France's Arnauld Dulac. The Bravehearts and coaching staff said that the ball was knocked on, and therefore a scrum should have occurred. English touch judge Peter Walton signalled the knock-on but play continued. The match finished Scotland 20-22 France.
Clash Of The Nations
The Clash Of The Nations was a new tournament designed to make November 1998 a month of international league as Great Britain was touring the Southern Hemisphere. Scotland, France and Ireland would play two matches each and the winner of the two matches would be crowned champion.
Scotland first faced France in Perpignan, the first match since they were controversially denied a victory in 1996. New coach
Billy McGintyBilly McGinty is a Scottish former rugby league footballer of the 1990s and first decade of the 21st century. He played in the forwards for Wigan during the period in the 1990s when they dominated the sport, and later for Workington Town....
promised "the strongest ever Scotland squad" and just three players survived from Scotland's last international match. Débutant
Jason FlowersJason "Collie" Flowers is a former professional rugby league footballer, and current coach, who at representative level played for Scotland, and at club level for Castleford Tigers, Halifax, and Salford City Reds, primarily playing at but also at , or , i.e. number 1, 2 or 5, 3 or 4, or, 11 or 12...
put Scotland ahead, before France leveled the scores. But
Danny ArnoldDanny Arnold is a former rugby league player.Arnold was a Scotland international and played at the 2000 Rugby League World Cup.-External links:***...
once again put the Bravehearts ahead. Scotland excelled and
Jason RoachJason Roach is a professional rugby league footballer, who at representative level has played for Scotland, and at club level for Swinton Lions , Castleford Tigers, Warrington Wolves, and Barrow Raiders, playing at , i.e. number 2 or 5....
further strengthened Scotland's lead before France narrowed the lead to four points at half-time. In the 55th minute France scored to take the lead for the first time in the match. Roach got his second try, but France retaliated by scoring one of their own. Ten minutes from full-time France scored another try to confirm the two points. The match finished France 26-22 Scotland, with
Lee PennyLee Penny is a former rugby league player.Penny was born in Wigan in 1974, he attended St Cuthberts Infant and Junior School and St Thomas More High School....
earning Man Of The Match award.
France went onto beat Ireland in their second match, therefore clinching the trophy, however Scotland still played Ireland in Glasgow, the first meeting between these nations since 1995. The first-half was to prove uneventful, with Ireland scoring a single try to make the score 6-0 after 40 minutes. On the 46th minute Ireland drifted into a 10 point lead, but
John DuffyJohn Duffy born in England is a rugby league player for Leigh Centurions in coop championship.John Duffy's position of choice is as a / and he can also operate as a /, and ....
kept the Bravehearts in the match with 20 minutes of the match remaining.
Logan CampbellLogan Campbell is a New Zealand former rugby league footballer who played professionally in Australia and England and represented Scotland.-Early years:...
got a try for Scotland but then Ireland scored another, a successfully scored a drop-goal to win the match 17-10.
Colin WilsonColin Wilson is a former professional rugby union and rugby league footballer who at representative level played rugby union for Glasgow District Rugby Union, and Edinburgh District Rugby Union, playing at Wing, i.e...
was awarded the Man Of The Match award, and significantly became the first player from the Scottish Conference domestic league to represent Scotland.
With two defeats from the tournament Scotland finished bottom of the table.
Triangular Challenge
With The Clash Of The Nations tournament over, the Celtic nations were to play each other once over October and November in a new competition. The matches were to coincide with the Great Britain versus Australia matches, in which Great Britain ended up being badly beaten. Dale Laughton was the only Scotman in the Great Britain team and so the Bravehearts didn't suffer from withdrawals as much as Ireland and Wales did. It is generally regarded that the Rugby Football League made the same mistakes as the 1998 tournament with matches being held on Friday nights and competing against both the football and rugby union seasons and consequently attendances were very low for the matches. The first of Scotland's matches was against Wales in which many of the best Welsh players were with Great Britain. Scotland took the lead through Danny Arnold but The Dragons quickly made the game level. Captain Danny Russell went over for Scotland's second try, but once again Wales hit back within minutes. Andrew Lambert scored just before half-time for The Bravehearts but the lead did not last long after the break with Wales scoring. However, the Welsh were unable to reply to the next four tries, with Mike Wainwright and Matt Crowther each getting themselves onto the scoreboard and both Lambert and Arnold getting their second tries. A win or a draw would seal Scotland's place at the top of the table but Ireland mixture of Super League and local players were too good for Scotland. They raced into a 1ten point lead before Russell and Arnold, with Crowther converting one, allowed Scotland to claw their way back into the match. In the final quarter the Bravehearts fell apart, leaking in 21 points to lose the match.
2000 World Cup Campaign
Scotland were placed in Group 4 in the 16-team Rugby League World Cup for 2000, which was held in the United Kingdom and France. This meant that they would face Ireland, Samoa and New Zealand Maori, with one match being played at
GlasgowGlasgow is the largest city in Scotland and third most populous in the United Kingdom. The city is situated on the River Clyde in the country's west central lowlands...
, and one match being played in
EdinburghEdinburgh is the capital city of Scotland, the second largest city in Scotland, and the eighth most populous in the United Kingdom. The City of Edinburgh Council governs one of Scotland's 32 local government council areas. The council area includes urban Edinburgh and a rural area...
. Out of the four teams, two would then qualify for the Quarter Finals, playing the top teams from other groups. The Scots World Cup campaign was criticised though, before the tournament was even started when the 24 man squad was named, as not one of the players were born in Scotland.
French Friendly
In their first match after the World Cup campaign, Scotland faced France in the southern French town of
LezignanLézignan-Corbières is a commune in the Aude department in the Languedoc-Roussillon region in southern France. Situated in the Corbières wine region not far from Narbonne, it has a Vine and Wine Museum .-Geography:...
. Shaun McRae, citing his domestic coaching at Hull, departed as Scotland coach and Glasgow-born Billy McGinty took over the role with the then
Swinton LionsSwinton Lions is an English professional rugby league club from Swinton, Greater Manchester. The club has won the Championship six times and three Challenge Cups. They currently play in the Championship.-Early years:...
coach and former Great Britain player
Mike GregoryMichael Keith "Mike" Gregory , was a rugby league player and later coach; the former head coach of Wigan and player for Warrington and Great Britain.-Playing career:...
taking the role of assistant coach. The squad for this match included 13 survivors from the World Cup matches and three new players who were each earning their first international cap. The Scots got off to a great start, scoring three tries in the first 13 minutes and never looked back as they won the match 42-20. The heat in the French summer was thought to be a problem going into the match, but Scotland scored seven tries in total to record their first win against the French and arguably their best win yet in international competition. Two tries each were scored by Danny Arnold and Jason Flowers, and Matt Crowther converted all seven tries. Seven years later this victory is Scotland's biggest win and is still recognised as one of their best amongst supporters.
European Cup
Scotland joined the prestigious European Nations Cup tournament in 2003, now being regarded as the seventh best national nation. This newly expanded competition, which also featured Russia and Ireland for the first time, as well as England A, France and Wales, was split into two groups with the winner of each group playing each other to become the competition's champions. Scotland were placed in a group with rivals Ireland and France. In May 2003, several months before the start of the tournament, Scotland Rugby League announced that
Mike GregoryMichael Keith "Mike" Gregory , was a rugby league player and later coach; the former head coach of Wigan and player for Warrington and Great Britain.-Playing career:...
would become the new coach of the Scottish team, with
David LyonDavid Lyon directs the Surveillance Studies Centre, is a Professor of Sociology, holds a Queen’s Research Chair and is cross-appointed as a Professor in the Faculty of Law at Queen's University in Kingston, Ontario....
being appointed as his assistant. However it was later announced that due to Mike Gregorys commitments to
Wigan WarriorsWigan Warriors is an English rugby league club based in Wigan, Greater Manchester. The club's first team squad competes in the engage Super League and the team are the current Challenge Cup holders as of the 27th August 2011....
, McGinty will continue to coach the side. Scotland's first match was against Ireland at Old Anniesland. The Scots lost by just two points, with
Lee PennyLee Penny is a former rugby league player.Penny was born in Wigan in 1974, he attended St Cuthberts Infant and Junior School and St Thomas More High School....
,
Danny ArnoldDanny Arnold was an American producer, writer, comedian, actor and director known for producing Barney Miller, That Girl and Bewitched.-Life and career:...
and
Jason RoachJason Roach is a professional rugby league footballer, who at representative level has played for Scotland, and at club level for Swinton Lions , Castleford Tigers, Warrington Wolves, and Barrow Raiders, playing at , i.e. number 2 or 5....
all scoring tries for Scotland, but
John DuffyJohn Duffy born in England is a rugby league player for Leigh Centurions in coop championship.John Duffy's position of choice is as a / and he can also operate as a /, and ....
had missed one of his crucial four goals. Scotland were 12-2 up after 21 minutes and were level at half-time, but Irish substitute
Karl FitzpatrickKarl Fitzpatrick is a rugby league full back who currently plays for the Salford City Reds rugby league team.-Playing career:Fitzpatrick was originally a scrum half before he switched to full back. He is a product of Wigan St Pats...
gave the Wolfhounds the win in the last few minutes of the match. With France then beating Ireland in Dublin, Scotland now knew that they could clinch first place. The match held in Narbonne, between France and Scotland turned out to be closely fought. However, the Scots came out on top with an
Andrew HendersonAndrew Henderson is an English Professional rugby league footballer for Sheffield Eagles. A Scotland international representative hooker, he previously played for Gateshead Thunder, Castleford Tigers, Balmain Tigers, Salford and Barrow.Henderson began his professional career in England in 2001...
try and two
Oliver WilkesOliver Wilkes, is an English born Scottish professional rugby league footballer for the Harlequins club of Super League...
goals sealing the victory by two points. This scoreline meant that all three teams had finished on two points, but it was France, with the better points difference, that went on to face England in the final.
The 2004 competition followed the same plan but this time the Bravehearts were with Ireland and Wales. These two teams had already played each other a week earlier with the result and Irish victory. Both sides scored four tries, but it was the kicking of Danny Brough that helped Scotland to beat the Dragons by 30 points to 22 in Glasgow. The match drew over a thousand spectators and was the first time Scotland had won at home for five years. Just five days later though, the team had to play their second game against the Irish Wolfhounds in Ireland. Despite a try from Spencer Miller and three successful kicks by Danny Brough, the Irish ran out easy winners with the match ending 43-10 and thus ending Scotlands campaign in the cup.
Qualification
On 17 May 2006 Scotland received word that they would play two matches against Wales for a place in the 2008 World Cup. The two matches of Group 1 (there were two European groups) would be contested in late 2006 and 2007, with the first being in Bridgend and the second being in Glasgow.
Before the first match, coach Steve McCormack had time with the players in training camps in Huddersfield and Swansea, and admitted that he was not threatened by the likes of Super League giants
Iestyn HarrisIestyn Rhys Harris is a Welsh former rugby league footballer, who is currently the assistant coach at Wigan Warriors. Harris is a former Man of Steel winner and has also represented Wales on numerous occasions at both codes of rugby...
and
Lee BriersLee Briers is a professional rugby league player who currently plays for Warrington Wolves in the Super League. He previously played for St Helens, and at international level he won 23 caps for Wales, many of those as captain...
in the Welsh team. This is despite many fans and journalists favouring the Dragons to easily win. McCormack later named his squad for the match, which included a mixture of Super League, National League and Rugby League Conference players. Five of them would be making their début, but long-serving player Ian Henderson, who had played in every Scottish match since 2001, was unable to play for in this match.
Scotland started well in Bridgend with Wade Liddell giving the Bravehearts the lead after just 8 minutes. This try was converted by Gareth Morton. But things got bad as Wales pulled a try back through Richard Johnson, and then Danny Brough was sinbinned for dissent on 26 minutes. In the next ten minutes a Wales team minus Iestyn Harris, who failed a fitness test prior to the match, capitalised on Scotland's shortfall and scored two tries to create a 14-6 lead going into half-time. However after the break the Scots immediately got back into the match, Danny Brough singlehandedly scoring a try after 70 seconds of the interval, and Jamie Benn a little later leeching on to a grubber kick. Mick Nanyn missed both conversions and so the scores were tied. On the 67th minute Scotland went in front, Nanyn converting his own try. And to seal a 21-14 victory Danny Brough scored a drop-goal. He would later get Man Of The Match award.
To prepare for the second qualification match, Scotland travelled to Perpignan to play test nation France. Scotland rested several key players, like Danny Brough and Ian Henderson, and gave caps to six début players. It turned out to be a bad decision as Scotland suffered their heaviest defeat in their history. After 15 minutes Scotland were trailing 18-0, and despite tries from Benn, Nanyn and Paterson, plus two successful conversions from Nanyn, France were always well ahead. The match finished France 46-16 Scotland.
Before the second qualification match in Glasgow, Wales were still confident of victory with the Dragons assistant coach Kevin Ellis saying that his Welsh team had some fantastic players, and that it was the best since Wales golden era of 1991-95. But Scotland had the advantage going into the match, for a win or draw or even a small loss would guarantee them a place in the cup. Before the match Danny Brough was announced as captain before the match, thus earning his sixth cap too.
In the first half of the match Wales were on top, with Scotland only managing to score four points overall, two penalties by Danny Brough. Richard Fletcher had been carried off after an aerial collision, which caused the game to be stopped for six minutes. At half time the score was 14-4 in favour of the Dragons, meaning Scotland would not qualify. In the 52nd minute Ben Fisher darted over the line to score Scotland's first try. Importantly this was converted by Danny Brough. And with seven minutes remaining Jamie Benn latched onto Mick Nanyn's speculative pass to score Scotland's second try, which Brough successfully converted. Wales scored late on but it was not enough. The match finished Scotland 16-18 Wales, with an aggregate score of Scotland 37-32, and Mick Nanyn received Man Of The Match award.
2008 World Cup Campaign
On 9 July 2008, Scotland Rugby League announced that Steve McCormack had signed a 12 month deal to continue his job as head coach of the Scotland team. Danny Brough will continue to skipper the team into the World Cup, providing he stays fit. Except for
Edinburgh EaglesThe Edinburgh Eagles are a semi-professional rugby league team based in Edinburgh, Scotland. They play in the Scotland Division of the Rugby League Conference.-History:...
stand-off Paddy Couper, all of the Scottish team's players were selected under the grandparent rule.
Identity
Strip
Since their first match Scotland have always played in royal blue, with a royal blue shirt, shorts and socks. In their two World Cup qualifying matches in 2007, the Scottish flag, featuring the white cross on a blue background, was on each shoulder and also on the shirt was a white collar. On the left of the shirt is the Scotland badge, and on the right is the Great Britain badge which is split into four and then has the England, Scotland, Wales and Ireland rugby league badges in a shield. This is to signify Scotland's part in the Great Britain setup.
In early 2008 Scotland Rugby League announced that they had secured a five-figure sponsorship deal with The Co-operative which would see the world's largest consumer-owned businesses logo on the front of the shirts for the 2008 World Cup and for all 2009 matches too.
A new shirt has recently been designed for the World Cup and it is expected that fans will be able to buy it
sometime in the Summer 2008. Instead of the Great Britain badge on the right, there will be the World Cup logo, similar to each of the ten teams shirts. The shirt is made by German sportswear company
PumaPuma SE, officially branded as PUMA, is a major German multinational company that produces high-end athletic shoes, lifestyle footwear and other sportswear. Formed in 1924 as Gebrüder Dassler Schuhfabrik by Adolf and Rudolf Dassler, relationships between the two brothers deteriorated until the two...
.
Emblem
The emblem of the Scotland team is the thistle, which is on the team's badge in a crest. The thistle is an ancient Celtic symbol of nobility of character as well as of birth and is the symbol of the
Order of the ThistleThe Most Ancient and Most Noble Order of the Thistle is an order of chivalry associated with Scotland. The current version of the Order was founded in 1687 by King James VII of Scotland who asserted that he was reviving an earlier Order...
a high
chivalric orderChivalric orders are societies and fellowships of knights that have been created by European monarchs in imitation of the military orders of the Crusades...
of Scotland. There is also a well-known Scottish legend that in Medieval times a
VikingThe term Viking is customarily used to refer to the Norse explorers, warriors, merchants, and pirates who raided, traded, explored and settled in wide areas of Europe, Asia and the North Atlantic islands from the late 8th to the mid-11th century.These Norsemen used their famed longships to...
, wanting to invade Scotland, stood on a thistle and suddenly yelped in pain, alerting the defenders of a Scottish castle. The thistle is used on the badges of many national and domestic sports teams.
2011 Squad
Player Of The Year
Since 2004, the Scottish management team have given the Dave Valentine Award to their player of the year. The award uses a voting system and is given to the player in early January.
| Year |
Player |
Club |
| 2004 |
Chris Birchall Chris Birchall is a Scottish rugby league player. In 2004 he won the Dave Valentine Award, given by the management of the Scotland national rugby league team to their player of the year. Birchall played for Halifax RLFC between 2002 and 2006.-References:...
|
HalifaxHalifax RLFC is one of the most historic rugby league clubs in the game, formed over a century ago, in 1873 in the Yorkshire town of Halifax. Known as 'Fax', the official club colours are blue and white hoops, blue shorts and blue socks . They share The Shay stadium with football club FC Halifax Town...
|
| 2005 |
Jon SteelJon Steel is a Scottish rugby league player currently with Championship side Featherstone Rovers. He is a former rugby union player who represented his country at youth level before switching codes in 2005...
|
Hull KR Hull Kingston Rovers or Hull KR is an English professional rugby league football club based in Hull, England. The club formed in 1882 and currently competes in Super League, having won promotion from National League One in 2006...
|
| 2006 |
Neil LoweNeil Lowe is an English born Scottish rugby league footballer who currently plays for Hunslet Hawks at , he has previously played for Featherstone Rovers, Doncaster, York City Knights, and Keighley Cougars...
|
Doncaster |
| 2007 |
Duncan MacGillivrayDuncan MacGillivray is a former rugby league footballer, who played for numerous Australian clubs, before making his name in Super League for the Wakefield Trinity Wildcats. He was also a Scottish international...
|
Wakefield Wildcats |
| 2008 |
Iain Morrison Iain Morrison is a rugby league player for the Featherstone Rovers after signing in October 2009. He was signed for Hull Kingston Rovers from Huddersfield Giants after he had initially come through London Broncos academy....
|
Widnes VikingsWidnes Vikings RLFC are an English professional rugby league club based in Widnes, Cheshire. They currently play in the Engage Super League, the top tier of European rugby league, after being awarded a license to compete in the top-flight Super League from 2012 onward...
|
| 2009 |
Mick NanynMick Nanyn is an English rugby league player. Nanyn's usual position is centre. He is a specialist goal-kicker.Nanyn plays for Leigh, on a loan deal from Harlequins RL in Super League. He also plays for Scotland....
|
Leigh CenturionsLeigh Centurions is an English professional rugby league club based in Leigh, Greater Manchester who play in the Co-operative Championship.The club was founded in 1878 as Leigh Rugby Football Club and is one of the original twenty-two clubs that formed the Northern Rugby Football Union in...
|
| 2010 |
Dale FergusonDale Ferguson is an English professional rugby league footballer for Huddersfield Giants of Super League. A Scotland international representative loose or second-row forward, he previously played for the Wakefield Trinity Wildcats....
|
Wakefield Wildcats |
| 2011 |
|
|
Grounds
Firhill Stadium
Located in
MaryhillMaryhill is an area of the City of Glasgow in Scotland. Maryhill is a former burgh. The population of Maryhill is about 52,000. Maryhill stretches over along Maryhill Road...
, in north west
GlasgowGlasgow is the largest city in Scotland and third most populous in the United Kingdom. The city is situated on the River Clyde in the country's west central lowlands...
, Firhill Stadium was used on five occasions and was the first home of Scottish rugby league. The ground was built in 1909 and is the home for football club Partick Thistle. It is also now being used by
Glasgow WarriorsThe Glasgow Warriors, formerly Glasgow Rugby, are one of two professional rugby union teams in Scotland, Edinburgh being the other. They play in the RaboDirect Pro12 and their home ground is Firhill Stadium, also the home of Partick Thistle Football Club.-History:Glasgow Rugby were created to...
rugby union team. The stadium can hold nearly 11,000 although the highest attendance for a rugby league match was just over 2,000. The first match held at Firhill was against Ireland on 6 August 1996. One game was played in 1997, 1998 and 1999, before Scotland hosted the New Zealand Maori team in their opening World Cup match on 29 October 2000. This was the last time that the Bravehearts played at Firhill.
Tynecastle Stadium
Scotland's third World Cup match against Samoa was held at Tynecastle in
GorgieGorgie is an area of west Edinburgh, Scotland, located near Murrayfield, Ardmillan and Dalry. It is home to Tynecastle Stadium, home of Scottish Premier League side Heart of Midlothian Football Club, and the North British Distillery, which creates a distinctive odour in parts of the area.The area...
,
EdinburghEdinburgh is the capital city of Scotland, the second largest city in Scotland, and the eighth most populous in the United Kingdom. The City of Edinburgh Council governs one of Scotland's 32 local government council areas. The council area includes urban Edinburgh and a rural area...
. It was the first time that the Scotland team had played a home fixture outside of Glasgow, but it was also the last, with the team moving back to Glasgow after this one match. The ground was opened in 1886 and is owned by
HeartsHeart of Midlothian Football Club are a Scottish professional football club based in Gorgie, in the west of Edinburgh. They currently play in the Scottish Premier League and are one of the two principal clubs in the city, the other being Hibernian...
football club. It has a capacity of 17,000 making it one of the largest sports stadiums in the whole of Scotland, but the World Cup match attracted just under 2,000 people. It is thought that the
Rugby Football LeagueThe Rugby Football League is the governing body for professional rugby league football in England. Based at Red Hall in Leeds, it administers the England national rugby league team, the Challenge Cup, Super League and the Rugby League Championships...
and Scotland Rugby League hugely overestimated the appeal of rugby league in Edinburgh, particularly as many Scottish rugby league teams are based in and around Glasgow.
Old Anniesland
For their opening European Nations Cup match against Ireland on 26 October 2003, the Bravehearts returned to Glasgow and to Old Anniesland. They have stayed their ever since. Old Anniesland is home to
Glasgow HawksGlasgow Hawks are an amateur rugby union team in Glasgow, Scotland. They were Premiership Division One champions for 3 consecutive seasons from 2003/04 to 2005/06.-The short history of Glasgow Hawks RFC:...
rugby union club, one of the best Scottish amateur union sides, and houses one stand, gym facilities and an astroturfed training pitch. Apart from the three European Nations Cup matches Old Anniesland has also hosted a World Cup qualifying matches on 4 November 2007. This match was televised live on
Sky SportsSky Sports is the brand name for a group of sports-oriented television channels operated by the UK and Ireland's main satellite pay-TV company, British Sky Broadcasting. Sky Sports is the dominant subscription television sports brand in the United Kingdom and Ireland...
and saw Scotland qualify for the
2008 World CupThe 2008 Rugby League World Cup was the thirteenth staging of the Rugby League World Cup since the inauguration of the tournament in 1954, and the first since the 2000 event...
.
World Cup
Scotland have only competed in one World Cup, in the
2000 tournamentThe 2000 Rugby League World Cup was the twelfth staging of the Rugby League World Cup and was held during October and November of that year in Great Britain, Ireland and France...
held in the
United KingdomThe United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern IrelandIn the United Kingdom and Dependencies, other languages have been officially recognised as legitimate autochthonous languages under the European Charter for Regional or Minority Languages...
and
FranceThe French Republic , The French Republic , The French Republic , (commonly known as France , is a unitary semi-presidential republic in Western Europe with several overseas territories and islands located on other continents and in the Indian, Pacific, and Atlantic oceans. Metropolitan France...
. Scotland were drawn in Group 4, with Ireland, Samoa and New Zealand Maori. It was to be the toughest group in the competition, with many of the matches being very close. Scotland finished bottom of the group after losing 17-16 to New Zealand Maori, 18-6 to Ireland and 20-12 to Samoa. Before the 2000 tournament, except for in
1975The 1975 Rugby League World Cup was the seventh staging of rugby league football's World Cup tournament...
and
1995The 1995 Rugby League World Cup was held during October in the United Kingdom. It was the eleventh staging of the Rugby League World Cup and was marketed as the Halifax Centenary World Cup, reflecting the tournament's sponsorship and the fact that 1995 marked the 100th birthday of the sport...
, Scotland were represented at the World Cup by Great Britain with several Scottish players making the team over the years. Scotland will compete in their second World Cup, the
2008The 2008 Rugby League World Cup was the thirteenth staging of the Rugby League World Cup since the inauguration of the tournament in 1954, and the first since the 2000 event...
competition in
AustraliaAustralia , officially the Commonwealth of Australia, is a country in the Southern Hemisphere comprising the mainland of the Australian continent, the island of Tasmania, and numerous smaller islands in the Indian and Pacific Oceans. It is the world's sixth-largest country by total area...
after successfully qualifying.
- 1954 - Represented by Great Britain.
- 1957 - Represented by Great Britain.
- 1960 - Represented by Great Britain.
- 1968 - Represented by Great Britain.
- 1970 - Represented by Great Britain.
- 1972 - Represented by Great Britain.
- 1975 - Not invited.
- 1977 - Represented by Great Britain.
- 1988 - Represented by Great Britain.
- 1992 - Represented by Great Britain.
- 1995 - Not invited.
- 2000 - Qualified. No wins in pool stages.
- 2008 - Qualified. Finished 8th/10th.
European Cup
Scotland joined the cup in 2003, as one of the three new nations to make the competition a six team tournament split into two groups. Their group consisted of Ireland, who beat them 24-22, and France who Scotland beat 8-6. However it was France that went through to the final, despite each team winning one match, because of their better points difference. In 2004 they contested the cup again, being put into a group with Ireland and Wales. Scotland beat Wales in the first match, but once again lost to Ireland, suffering their heaviest ever defeat. For the third and last time Scotland played in the 2005 competition and were again placed with Celtic rivals Wales and Ireland. This time they lost both of their games to finish bottom of the group.
Clash of the Nations
As
FranceThe France national rugby league team represent France in international rugby league tournaments. They are also sometimes referred to as "Les Tricolores" or more commonly "Les Chanticleers"...
proved that they were no longer strong enough for England, losing 73-6 in
GatesheadGateshead is a town in Tyne and Wear, England and is the main settlement in the Metropolitan Borough of Gateshead. Historically a part of County Durham, it lies on the southern bank of the River Tyne opposite Newcastle upon Tyne and together they form the urban core of Tyneside...
, the European Nations Cup once again was brought to an end. Instead France, Ireland and Scotland competed in a new tournament which would make November 1998 a month of international rugby league, as Great Britain and
New ZealandThe New Zealand national rugby league team has represented New Zealand in rugby league football since intercontinental competition began for the sport in 1907. Administered by the New Zealand Rugby League, they are commonly known as the Kiwis, after the native bird of that name...
would be playing Test matches. However to avoid rugby union internationals the
Rugby Football LeagueThe Rugby Football League is the governing body for professional rugby league football in England. Based at Red Hall in Leeds, it administers the England national rugby league team, the Challenge Cup, Super League and the Rugby League Championships...
organised the matches at night, which meant that the matches themselves received poor media coverage, especially in Scotland and Ireland, and small crowds, again particularly in Scotland and Ireland. France won the only tournament, it being axed after just one year, Scotland finished last losing against both teams.
Triangular Challenge
With the Clash Of The Nations matches not doing well off the pitch, the RFL organised a new
round-robin tournamentA round-robin tournament is a competition "in which each contestant meets all other contestants in turn".-Terminology:...
featuring Scotland, Ireland and Wales. The three international matches coincided with Great Britain test matches in Australia, which meant that Wales and Ireland suffered heavy withdrawals and Scotland lost
Dale LaughtonDale Laughton is a Scottish former professional rugby league footballer of the 1990s and 2000s who at representative level has played for Great Britain, and Scotland, and at club level for Wakefield Trinity Wildcats, Sheffield Eagles, Huddersfield Giants, and Warrington Wolves, playing at , i.e...
. Matches were played on Friday nights and competed against rugby union and football domestic seasons that were in full-swing. The tournament produced record low attendance figures in the three nations histories and so the competition was quickly axed.
Coaches
| Name |
Nationality |
Tenure |
Matches |
Won |
Drew |
Lost |
Win % |
| George Fairbairn George Fairbairn is a Scottish former rugby league footballer and coach. He played club football for Wigan, winning the Man of Steel Award in 1980. Fairbairn was also the fullback and goal-kicker for the Great Britain national team, however he represented the English national team several times,...
|
|
13 August 1995 - 9 July 1997 |
6 |
3 |
0 |
3 |
50% |
| Billy McGinty Billy McGinty is a Scottish former rugby league footballer of the 1990s and first decade of the 21st century. He played in the forwards for Wigan during the period in the 1990s when they dominated the sport, and later for Workington Town....
|
|
11 November 1998 - 18 November 1998 |
2 |
0 |
0 |
2 |
0% |
Shaun McRaeShaun McRae is a rugby league coach, who is currently the director of rugby at hull fc after a spell with the Salford City Reds.-Career:...
|
|
22 October 1999 - 5 November 2000 |
5 |
1 |
0 |
4 |
20% |
| Billy McGinty Billy McGinty is a Scottish former rugby league footballer of the 1990s and first decade of the 21st century. He played in the forwards for Wigan during the period in the 1990s when they dominated the sport, and later for Workington Town....
|
|
3 July 2001 - 9 November 2003 |
3 |
2 |
0 |
1 |
66% |
| Steve McCormack Steve McCormack is the former head coach of National League One club Widnes. He is currently head coach of Scotland RL and SwintonHis first coaching appointment had been at Salford, who made him the youngest coach in Super League at the age of just 28 in 2001 but was sacked just 10 months later.He...
|
|
24 October 2004–Present |
7 |
2 |
0 |
5 |
28.6% |
Support
Rugby League is not a hugely popular sport in Scotland, with the country never having had a professional club. This means that the national team is nowhere near as well supported as the countries football or rugby union teams. Usually matches get between 1,000 to 2,000 supporters, and those figures haven't really increased or decreased since the teams first home international in 1996. Participation in rugby league has increased though, with a Scottish division in the Rugby League Conference with seven teams, including four in the Glasgow/West Scotland area having formed in 2006. But, unlike in England, rugby league is not one of the ten most played sports in Scotland amongst adults. Junior development has been much more rapid, with several Conference teams having junior squads as well as other clubs who don't run an open-age squad having various junior squads. An estimated 2,500 children play rugby league in Scotland, with that figure growing to 12,500 when you add the amount of children who play the sport in various school programmes. In terms of media coverage, apart from
Challenge CupThe Challenge Cup is a knockout cup competition for rugby league clubs organised by the Rugby Football League. Originally it was contested only by British teams but in recent years has been expanded to allow teams from France and Russia to take part....
matches rugby league is not shown on Scottish
terrestrial televisionTerrestrial television is a mode of television broadcasting which does not involve satellite transmission or cables — typically using radio waves through transmitting and receiving antennas or television antenna aerials...
and no matches are usually broadcast on radio. However, Scotland international matches usually get reported in national newspapers like
The ScotsmanThe Scotsman is a British newspaper, published in Edinburgh.As of August 2011 it had an audited circulation of 38,423, down from about 100,000 in the 1980s....
and sometimes in Scottish editions of London based newspapers. In 2009, the
Magic WeekendThe Magic Weekend, previously Millennium Magic, is a concept by the Rugby Football League to stage an entire round of Super League matches in prestigious and exciting cities to showcase the sport....
was held at
MurrayfieldMurrayfield Stadium is a sports stadium located in the west end of Edinburgh, the capital of Scotland. Its all-seater capacity was recently reduced from 67,800 to 67,130 to incorporate the largest permanent "big screen" in the country though it still remains the largest stadium in Scotland and one...
with an average attendance of 60,000 spectators, including ticket sales of just under 7,000 in Scotland alone, making the event a success.
Team
- Highest winning score: 104-0 v Italy at Padova, 17 October 2009
- Widest winning margin: 104-0 v Italy at Padova, 17 October 2009
- Highest losing score: 46-16 v France at Perpignan, 27 October 2007
- Widest losing margin: 46-16 v France at Perpignan, 27 October 2007
Individual
| Most Caps |
Top Point Scorer |
Top Try Scorer |
Top Goal Scorer |
| Player |
Caps |
Player |
Points |
Player |
Tries |
Player |
Goals |
| Darren Shaw Darren Shaw is an Australian former rugby league footballer and coach. He is the coach of Rochdale Hornets.Before his coaching career, Shaw played for a number of clubs in England and Australia. Shaw played for Brisbane Broncos, London Broncos, Sheffield Eagles, Castleford Tigers and Salford City...
|
12 |
Matt Crowther |
52 |
Danny Arnold |
7 |
Matt Crowther |
20 |
| Nathan Graham Nathan Graham is a former rugby league footballer of the 1990s and 2000s who at representative level has played for Scotland, and at club level for Bradford Bulls, Dewsbury Rams, Featherstone Rovers, and Batley Bulldogs.-International honours:...
|
10 |
Danny Brough |
37 |
Darrall Shelford |
5 |
Danny Brough |
12 |
| Danny Arnold Danny Arnold was an American producer, writer, comedian, actor and director known for producing Barney Miller, That Girl and Bewitched.-Life and career:...
|
9 |
Danny Arnold |
32 |
Alan Tait |
5 |
Graeme Thompson |
7 |
| Matt Crowther Matt Crowther is a former rugby league player.Crowther was a Scotland international and played at the 2000 Rugby League World Cup.-Challenge Cup final appearances:...
|
8 |
Darrall Shelford |
20 |
Danny Russell |
4 |
Martin Ketteridge |
5 |
| Dave McConnell Dave McConnell born on 25 March 1981 in England is a rugby league player for Leigh Centurions in National League One.Dave McConnell's position of choice is as a , but he can also cover at /, , / and /....
|
8 |
Alan Tait Alan V. Tait is a Scottish rugby footballer and coach. He is currently head coach at Newcastle Falcons and a former rugby league and rugby union footballer who played outside centre for Scotland and the British and Irish Lions...
|
20 |
Gareth MortonGareth Morton is a Scottish rugby league player. He is currently playing for the WA Reds in the Bundaberg Red Cup rugby league competition in Australia.He has previously played for Leeds Rhinos and England Youth teams....
|
5 |
Wayne McDonaldWayne McDonald is a former rugby league footballer, recently he played for the Campbelltown City Kangaroos in Australia. McDonald played over 175 games in the Super League in the 1990s and 2000s. He played club football for Wakefield Trinity Wildcats, Hull Sharks, St Helens, Leeds Rhinos, Wigan...
|
8 |
Graeme Thompson |
18 |
| Jason Roach |
8 |
Danny Russell Danny Russell is a former rugby league footballer of the 1990s and 2000s who at representative level has played for Scotland, playing at the 2000 Rugby League World Cup, and at club level has played for Manly-Warringah Sea Eagles, Carlisle, and Huddersfield, playing at , i.e...
|
16 |
Other
- Biggest home attendance: 2,000 at various matches
- Biggest away attendance: 7,000 v France at Perpignan, 27 October 2007
Overall
In 15 years of international rugby league Scotland have played 31 matches, winning 39% of them. Their most regular opponent has been Ireland, who similarly starting playing Rugby League in the mid-1990s. However, in nine matches, five of them being played in Scotland, the Scots have only managed to beat the Wolfhounds three times - a 26-6 victory in 1996 in
GlasgowGlasgow is the largest city in Scotland and third most populous in the United Kingdom. The city is situated on the River Clyde in the country's west central lowlands...
, a 42-22 victory in
Dublin and a 26-6 victory in
GlasgowGlasgow is the largest city in Scotland and third most populous in the United Kingdom. The city is situated on the River Clyde in the country's west central lowlands...
in 2011. However the Irish do not count the 1996 defeat in Glasgow and consider it only as a friendly. They fare better against France and Wales though, the only other
Northern HemisphereThe Northern Hemisphere is the half of a planet that is north of its equator—the word hemisphere literally means “half sphere”. It is also that half of the celestial sphere north of the celestial equator...
opponents that they have faced more than once. Scotland have never beaten any team from the
Southern HemisphereThe Southern Hemisphere is the part of Earth that lies south of the equator. The word hemisphere literally means 'half ball' or "half sphere"...
.
| Against |
Played |
Won |
Lost |
Drawn |
% Won |
| |
9 |
3 |
6 |
0 |
33% |
| |
1 |
1 |
0 |
0 |
100% |
| |
1 |
0 |
1 |
0 |
0% |
| |
6 |
2 |
4 |
0 |
33% |
| |
7 |
3 |
4 |
0 |
43% |
| |
1 |
1 |
0 |
0 |
100% |
| |
1 |
1 |
0 |
0 |
100% |
| |
1 |
0 |
1 |
0 |
0% |
| |
1 |
1 |
0 |
0 |
100% |
| |
1 |
0 |
1 |
0 |
0% |
| |
1 |
0 |
1 |
0 |
0% |
| |
1 |
0 |
1 |
0 |
0% |
| Total |
31 |
12 |
19 |
0 |
37% |
Rugby League World Cup
| Year |
Round |
Position |
Won |
Drawn |
Lost |
Pts Scored |
Pts Against |
 2000The 2000 Rugby League World Cup was the twelfth staging of the Rugby League World Cup and was held during October and November of that year in Great Britain, Ireland and France...
|
Round 1 |
| 0 |
0 |
3 |
34 |
55 |
 2008The Rugby League World Cup is an international rugby league competition contested by members of the Rugby League International Federation . It has been held nearly once every 4 years on average since its inaugural tournament in France in 1954...
|
Round 1 |
8th |
1 |
0 |
2 |
36 |
100 |
European Cup
| Year |
Opponents |
Position |
Won |
Drawn |
Lost |
Pts Scored |
Pts Against |
| 2003 |
|
2nd |
1 |
0 |
1 |
30 |
30 |
| 2004 |
|
2nd |
1 |
0 |
1 |
40 |
65 |
| 2005 |
|
3rd |
0 |
0 |
2 |
20 |
34 |
| 2009 |
|
2nd |
2 |
0 |
1 |
142 |
38 |
| 2010 The 2010 European Cup, known as the Alitalia European Cup for sponsorship purposes, is a rugby league football tournament. Three of the competing teams participated in the 2009 European Cup, with France also being included in the tournament after competing in the 2009 Four Nations...
|
|
3rd |
1 |
0 |
2 |
76 |
108 |
Scotland A
The Scotland A national rugby league team is made up of amateur players, who either play in the
Rugby League ConferenceThe Rugby League Conference , was a series of regionally based divisions of amateur rugby league teams spread throughout England, Scotland and Wales.The RLC was founded as the 10-team Southern Conference League in 1997, with teams from the southern midlands and the...
or university leagues. The Scotland team is usually made up of some players who play in the Scottish division of the RLC, but also of players who play in the English or Welsh divisions.
Napier UniversityEdinburgh Napier is one of the largest higher education institutions in Scotland with over 17,000 students, including nearly 5,000 international students, from more than 100 nations worldwide.-History:...
has also played a huge part in the team, with many Napier students having played in the side over the years. The team regularly compete against England, Wales and Ireland, playing them annually in the
Home Nations ChampionshipSkanaska Amateur Four Nations or Home Nations Championship is a rugby league competition contested annually by Wales A, Ireland A, Scotland A and the England Lionhearts. While the teams from the Celtic nations are officially the countries' second string sides, the Lionhearts are England's...
. Since the creation of this tournament, in 2002, Scotland have never won the league although have finished second on two occasions in 2004 and 2005. Recently the Scotland team have toured the
NetherlandsThe Netherlands is a constituent country of the Kingdom of the Netherlands, located mainly in North-West Europe and with several islands in the Caribbean. Mainland Netherlands borders the North Sea to the north and west, Belgium to the south, and Germany to the east, and shares maritime borders...
,
ItalyItaly , officially the Italian Republic languages]] under the European Charter for Regional or Minority Languages. In each of these, Italy's official name is as follows:;;;;;;;;), is a unitary parliamentary republic in South-Central Europe. To the north it borders France, Switzerland, Austria and...
and
SerbiaSerbia , officially the Republic of Serbia , is a landlocked country located at the crossroads of Central and Southeast Europe, covering the southern part of the Carpathian basin and the central part of the Balkans...
, helping expand rugby league in those country by playing domestic and national sides. Angus McNab currently coaches the side, whilst Andrew Todd of
Edinburgh EaglesThe Edinburgh Eagles are a semi-professional rugby league team based in Edinburgh, Scotland. They play in the Scotland Division of the Rugby League Conference.-History:...
is captain.
Match officials
Referee
- Gary Owram
- Gordan Wallace
Touch judges
Match Commissioner
See also
- Rugby league in Scotland
Rugby league is comparatively minor sport in Scotland, dwarfed by the popularity of association football, and to a lesser extent sports such as rugby union, curling and shinty...
- Sport in Scotland
Sport plays a central role in Scottish culture. The temperate, oceanic climate has played a key part in the evolution of sport in Scotland, with all-weather sports like association football, rugby union and golf dominating the national sporting consciousness...
- Rugby League World Cup
The Rugby League World Cup is an international rugby league competition contested by members of the Rugby League International Federation . It has been held nearly once every 4 years on average since its inaugural tournament in France in 1954...
- Great Britain national rugby league team
The Great Britain national rugby league team represents the United Kingdom in rugby league football. Administered by the Rugby Football League , the team is nicknamed "The Lions" or "Great Britain Lions"....
- List of Scotland national rugby league team players
- Scotland national rugby union team
The Scotland national rugby union team represent Scotland in international rugby union. Rugby union in Scotland is administered by the Scottish Rugby Union. The Scotland rugby union team is currently ranked eighth in the IRB World Rankings as of 19 September 2011...
External links