Rugby League: Scotland to stage first major match

Professional rugby league will go to Scotland in August, with a match against Ireland at Partick Thistle's ground, Firhill Park. The fixture will be the first major tie to be staged north of the border and could be the precursor to the establishment of a Super League side in Scotland.

"It will be a full international, with all eligible players available to the two countries," the League's chief executive, Maurice Lindsay, said.

Ireland, who reached the final of the Emerging Nations' World Cup last year, have already drawn on numerous players from professional clubs who have Irish antecedents.

Scotland, who also played in that tournament, are able to select players with Scottish parentage, such as South Wales' veteran prop Hugh Waddell, and Darren Shaw of the London Broncos.

The meeting of the Rugby League Council in Wigan yesterday also decided to issue a questionnaire to players to find out what they think about the running of the game.

The questions will include sounding out their opinions on recent rule changes, the success or otherwise of summer rugby, the role of agents and the use of drugs within the game.

The Rugby League Professional Players' Association made a bid for official recognition by the League, but left the meeting without knowing whether or not they had been successful.

The former Great Britain centre, Darren Wright, is the latest Widnes player to be hunted by Sale. The rugby union club has already signed Adrian Hadley on a permanent deal and John Devereux for a close-season stint.

The Warrington captain, Paul Cullen, will today face charges arising out of an incident for which he was placed on report during the match against Wigan on Sunday.