Scotland will be promoted for 1997 World Cup

Scotland are in line to be included in the next World Cup after their 26-6 victory over Ireland at Partick Thistle on Tuesday, writes Dave Hadfield.

The performance of the native and adopted Scots after just one training session together was good enough for the game's chief executive, Maurice Lindsay, virtually to promote them on the spot. Scotland, like Ireland, were included in the Emerging Nations' World Cup last year, he said. "We have seen enough improvement to say that they should be in the World Cup proper next year."

Lindsay visualises next autumn's tournament involving 16 teams, with Scotland, Ireland and the victorious Cook Islands all elevated from the subsidiary competition. Scotland's group matches should be held in Scotland, with Ireland playing in Dublin, Lindsay said.

Other plans for Scotland and Ireland include incorporating them in an annual Five Nations tournament with England, Wales and France. "It will be written up as a poor relation to the rugby union Five Nations, with smaller crowds, but I don't care," Lindsay said. "The point is that we are trying to spread the game, and if Scotland played France here, I would back Scotland."

Undeterred by a crowd at Firhill of little more than a thousand, the code will press ahead with a proposal to take at least one Super League game to Partick next season. The league's Scottish development officer, Graeme Thompson, belie- ves there would be advantages in taking games to the more rugby-minded city of Edinburgh, but Partick have proved such enthusiastic hosts that Firhill is likely to remain the code's home in Scotland.

Revised Great Britain tour plans for this autumn should be finalised this week after talks between Lindsay and his New Zealand counterpart, Graham Carden. Plan A will be for two matches each in Papua New Guinea and Fiji, and six in New Zealand. If there is a ruling in the Super League appeal in Australia by the end of this month, the tour will be amended to include Tests against Australia.

The Wasps rugby union club are confident of signing Va'aiga Tuigamala, the Wigan centre and former All Black wing. In a deal mirroring Martin Offiah's London Broncos (league)-Bedford (rugby) timeshare, Tuigamala would spend his winter season at Wasps.

Keighley Cougars have signed the pounds 50,000 transfer-listed Oldham prop Ian Sherratt, 29, on loan to the end of the season.