Rugby League first made an appearance in Scotland way back in 1909 when the English and Australian national teams fought out a 17–all draw in Glasgow.  Both teams returned north of the border in 1911 to again fight out a draw, this time 11-all before attempts to spread the game north of the border were put on hold until 1989.

Despite the lack of Rugby League in Scotland during that period, 14 Scottish players would make their mark in the British game, including the famous David Valentine who captained Great Britain to victory in 1954 at the inaugural World Cup.

Rugby League made its return to Scotland in 1989 when the University of Aberdeen took up the sport, from that moment the domestic scene slowly spread until the Scotland Rugby League was established in 1995.

Scotland made their international debut that same year, taking on Ireland in Dublin, going down 26 – 22.

Scotland qualified for their first ever World Cup in 2000 and despite losing all their group games, were competitive in each outing.  Achievements for Scotland on the international scene include making the 2013 World Cup Quarter-Finals, winning the 2014 European Championship and qualifying for the 2016 Four Nations.

Scotland’s Conference League was formed in 1997 with the Edinburgh Eagles being the most successful club, with 9 titles from 13 finals since being formed in 1998. Aberdeen Warriors have won the past four titles (2013 – 2016).

Other regions represented in the domestic competition include Dundee, Glasgow, Edinburgh and Ayrshire. 

Moniker: Bravehearts
Colours: Blue and White
Coach: Steve McCormack
Captain: Danny Brough
First Test: Scotland 22 defeated by Ireland 26 – Dublin, Ireland: 13 August 1995
Best World Cup Result: Quarter-Finals - 2013

David Valentine: Valentine made his Rugby League debut in 1947 the same year he played twice for the Scottish Rugby Union team.  Signing for Huddersfield, Valentine made an instant impact in Rugby League, making his international debut the following year.  Over a career that lasted 10 years, Valentine earned 15 caps for Great Britain, 16 for other Nationalities and 3 for other Representative teams.  His most notable achievement is leading Great Britain to the 1954 World Cup victory.

Charles Renilson: Renilson crossed from Rugby Union to League in 1957, signing on to the Halifax club.  During his 12 years in Britain, Renilson earned 8 caps for Great Britain before heading to Australia to play for Newtown and Eastern Suburbs over the next three years.

Andrew Henderson: Until 2016, Henderson held the record for most caps for the Scottish national team with 23 caps over an international career that spanned 10 years.  Brother to Ian and Kevin,who also played for Scotland, Andrew was a real Rugby League journeyman, playing for eight different clubs over the period.

Heading into the 2017 Rugby League World Cup, let’s look at some of the players who will be integral to the success of the Bravehearts.

Danny Brough: Danny Brough currently holds the record for the most number of caps for the Scotland national team, making 23 appearances for the Bravehearts since 2004.  A real competitor, scrum-half Brough will be integral to the performance of the Scottish team in 2017.

Matt Russell: Making his professional debut back at age 18 for Wigan, it is easy to think that Irvine-born Matt Russell is a lot older than 23.  However despite a baptism of fire in the world of professional sports, Russell has continued to develop as a player and was an integral utility back for the Bravehearts in the recent Four Nations tournament, including scoring one of the tries of the event. 

Peter Wallace: Peter Wallace was unfortunately unavailable for Scotland in the recent Four Nations due to injury, however Scotland will be hoping to have the experienced half/hooker back for the 2017 tournament to provide some extra depth around the Braveheart’s spine. 

Lachlan Coote: Whilst only making his Scottish debut in 2016, Coote showed that he and Brough were a deadly combination for the Bravehearts, causing significant issues for both the English and New Zealand teams. 

Following an impressive performance at the 2016 Four Nations tournament held in England, Scotland will be coming to the 2017 Rugby League World Cup with no fear.
Grouped with New Zealand, Samoa and Tonga, the Bravehearts will be well aware that they are more than capable of matching it with all three nations.
In their last starts against each side, Scotland has defeated Tonga 26 – 24, drawn with New Zealand 18–all and just lost to Samoa 20 – 12.

Vs New Zealand
Played: 2
W 0 – D 1 – L 1
Purchase Tickets to New Zealand v Scotland in Christchurch on 4/11/2017

Vs Samoa
Played: 1
W 0 – D 0 – L 1
Purchase Tickets to Samoa v Scotland in Cairns on 11/11/2017

Vs Tonga
Played: 2
W 1 – D 0 – L 1
Purchase Tickets to Scotland v Tonga in Cairns on 29/10/2017

Written by Steve Birchall, RLWC2017 Contributor