Douglas: Scotland deserve to be in the Four Nations

Luke Douglas says regardless of world rankings Scotland deserve to be in this year’s Four Nations.

Scotland will take on the might of Australia, England and New Zealand in the tournament that begins next weekend.

The underdog Bravehearts will face the Kangaroos in Hull in their opening match. Scotland qualified for the Four Nations by winning the 2014 European Cup.

The Scots are currently ranked ninth in the word, behind Samoa, France, Ireland, Fiji and Wales.

But Douglas, who will turn out for the land of his grandfather in the tournament, believes Scotland are most deserving of their spot.

“To be honest, I think there are several teams that would be just as competitive, however Scotland earnt their place in this competition through a process and for this we are most deserving,” he told Love Rugby League.

“Our performance in the last World Cup is an indication of what we are capable of.”

Scotland reached the quarter-finals of the 2013 World Cup, where they were knocked out by the Kiwis.

Douglas is one of four NRL players who will feature for the Scottish in the next few weeks.

The front-rower, who will join St Helens in 2017, is looking forward to representing Scotland again.

“This was a great opportunity for my career and hoping to build on this,” he said.

“I enjoyed the comradery with the boys, learning about my heritage and the life experience it has given me. 

“There is no denying that we have our work cut out for us… It is going to be extremely tough.

“If we play with the same passion and resiliance as we did in the World Cup, we will definitely be competitive.”

Douglas said Scotland‘s goal is try and knock off one of the big three in the Four Nations and secure a history-making win.

“Collectively, this would be a goal for the playing group and support staff,” he said. We would be extremely delighted to secure a victory and pleasantly surprised.”