Scotland at the Rugby League World Cup

About Scotland in rugby league

Known as the Bravehearts, Scotland is the youngest of rugby league's home-nations sides, formally establishing a national team only in 1995 and playing its first international — a narrow 26-22 loss to Ireland — that August, even though loosely organised 'Other Nationalities' representative matches trace back to 1904. Most Scotland squads have been built under rugby league's grandparent-qualification rule, drawing Scottish-eligible players from Super League and the NRL; long-serving captain Danny Brough, the Scotland-qualified 2013 Super League Man of Steel, is among the side's best-known modern figures, alongside earlier stars like Alan Tait and Michael Robertson. Scotland's best World Cup result came in 2013, when the Bravehearts reached the quarter-finals after group-stage wins over both Tonga and Italy, before losing to New Zealand. Results since have been harder, including an 84-0 defeat to Australia in October 2022, though Scotland's 18-18 draw with New Zealand at the 2016 Four Nations remains a landmark — the first point any 'fourth nation' side had ever taken off a Four Nations opponent, a result still celebrated as one of the high points in the Bravehearts' history. Scotland Rugby League granted the national side full international status in 1996, ending an earlier restriction that had limited teams to just three professional players per match, and the Bravehearts have played their home fixtures at Firhill Stadium in Glasgow since around that time — though crowds there have stayed modest, with the record home attendance just 2,233 for a 1997 match against France. Scotland's world ranking has fallen sharply since their 2016 high of 4th, sitting 27th as of December 2025.

Sources

• Scotland national rugby league team — Wikipedia