McCormack ready for wild weather and Kiwi class

Scotland coach Steve McCormack has asserted that his team are feeling confident, and ready to play the Kiwis on Friday whatever the weather in west Cumbria is like.

The Bravehearts return to Workington, a town with which the team have developed a good relationship over the last three years since the World Cup.

The weather is forecast to be wet and cold, but McCormack is paying more attention to how his team plays than the conditions.

“The weather is perfect no matter what it is!” said McCormack.

“We are not bothered what the weather is like. We will be ready whatever the conditions are, whatever ground we play at and whoever we play.

“It doesn’t really come much tougher than the Kiwis but we will be ready for it as always.”

McCormack is also certain that his team will receive backing from the home crowd too.

“It is kind of like a second home for us in a way,” McCormack said.

“There are a lot of proud Englishmen in West Cumbria so they will want the Kiwis to get beat and I think our history in that area has been good for both parties.

“We have all really bought into the Cumbrian spirit, the towns and the community. And on the flipside they have been really good to us as well, so I am sure there will be a lot of Englishmen supporting us Scots on Friday night.”

McCormack is also getting his team ready to face some of the world’s best players, though he believes that the Bravehearts have plenty of quality of their own.

“New Zealand are a very talented all over the field,” he said.

“I thought they were particularly good in the second-half against Australia, and some of their key players really stood up, so we have had a look at them in some detail but we have been focusing on making sure we are prepared more than anything.

“Shaun Johnson is a world class player. We faced Cooper Cronk in the first week, George Williams last week and we face Shaun Johnson this week which is what the Four Nations is all about, but we have got some really talented players ourselves.

“I thought Danny Brough has been outstanding, Danny Addy fills into the stand-off role easily and Lachlan Coote has shown glimpses of why he is talked about as being world class star.

“It should be a really entertaining game and one that myself and the rest of the team here are buzzing.”