THE Scotland RL, which will stage an East v West Origin game on Saturday 23 August at Biggar RUFC, has consolidated nicely in 2025, climaxing with a thrilling Grand Final nine days ago in which fledgling outfit West End Warriors, of Glasgow, beat reigning champions Edinburgh Eagles 34-30 in golden point extra time.
The match closed a four-team competition which also involved Forth Valley Vikings and Glasgow RL.
Barry McGuffog, Scotland Rugby League’s Operations and League Director, told League Express: “First of all, congratulations to West End Warriors. The Grand Final was a great spectacle for the game in Scotland, and the fact that it went to golden point was fitting of a season in which the League Leaders Shield, which was won by the Warriors, was only decided on the final day of the regular campaign.”
He continued: “West End joining the competition has not only taken us back to four teams after a number of years but has also increased the talent pool available for representative games.
“Last year, we took a team containing 15 domestic-based players and two from the Students over to the Netherlands for a full international fixture. Whilst the result didn’t go our way, we considered the game a success due to the composition of the squad, and I’d like to think that has partly contributed to increased numbers of players at clubs.
“We have further representative games planned in, and Saturday’s East v West Origin game at Biggar, in which we have added a couple of students and former Under 19s we deem suitable for this match, will form part of the selection process.”
McGuffog concluded: “Something else that has been good to see this season is the number of players involved in club rugby in Scotland who have represented the Under 18s in the Four Nations competition. I think we currently have eight or nine players in the pathway that play in the domestic competition and, given the numbers of Scottish-based players in the Under 16s, we can only expect that to increase going forward.
“With Edinburgh Giants having joined the Wheelchair Super League this season, and operating a reserve team, the future of Rugby League in Scotland is looking positive at all levels.”