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Scotland: playing for free

It is not about money. I don't believe you should get paid for your country anyway, it is privilege. I am looking forward to it.

Neil Lowe
Quotes of the week

Rugby League is a professional game and playing in a World Cup final could be the seen as the pinnacle of a professional's career.

But not every player earns his money in rugby league and so for the likes of Neil Lowe, who hopes to be representing Scotland in this year's World Cup, it will mean time off work and playing for pride.

Lowe will have to take nearly two months off if he is selected to represent Scotland, but as he told Boots 'n' All this week, it's "not about the money".

"Obviously I won't get paid," he said. "For being away for seven weeks, I might get paid a week's wage. It is going to be hard but hopefully I will be able to save some pennies.

"It is not about money. I don't believe you should get paid for your country anyway, it is privilege. I am looking forward to it."

The Scottish Rugby League have just signed a two-year, five figure sponsorship deal that they hope will help realise dreams of going from the tenth best team in the world to third or fourth.

But coach Steve McCormack has said that it will still be tough for his players, the majority of whom play the game part-time.

"A lot of the players, I would say 60 or 70 per cent of the players, are part-time players and they have probably got families and mortgages like the rest of us," he said.

"It will be difficult for them to get time off work. They have worked very hard to get to this position in the first place.

"Professional, part-time or full-time you want to play in the World Cup."