Steve McCormack to assess Scotland squad before World Cup

Scotland coach Steve McCormack says the young untried players in his squad will get a chance to press their World Cup claims in Friday's warm-up game in Ballina.

"They look a decent side and they will give us a good test," McCormack said.

"It will be a good chance for some of these younger players to stake a claim for a spot against Tonga the week after. I'm not sure whether our full 24 will play in the game yet."

McCormack will use Friday's game to finalise his line-up to face a star-studded Tonga in their opening Group B game in Cairns on Sunday week.

The Tongans are expected to mount a strong challenge for a semi-final spot after their high-profile recruitment headed by New Zealand loose forward Jason Taumalolo and Australia prop Andrew Fifita, moves that rocked the rugby league world but did not come as a surprise to McCormack.

"It's a World Cup so every team is going to be world class," he said. "It was no surprise to me. It was probably expected.

"Obviously we do our homework and look at individuals but our emphasis has always been on making sure we play to the best of our ability.

"When we've done that, we've generally gone okay.

"All four teams in our group are world class teams. We play New Zealand in Christchurch which for us is a fantastic opportunity. For me, playing New Zealand in New Zealand is still one of the biggest tests in rugby league."

The game in Christchurch on November 4 will give New Zealand the chance to atone for their shock 18-18 draw against the Bravehearts in the Four Nations Series in Workington last November and McCormack is expecting a different Kiwis side.

"We really enjoyed our Four Nations campaign last year," McCormack said. "I thought we got better as the tournament went on but we're expecting New Zealand to be at their best and we're preparing for that.

"The game in Workington was a big day for us. We deserved everything we got out of that game. We're aware that we're going to be up against a tougher and better New Zealand team in Christchurch.

"All our emphasis is on Tonga first and we'll do our prep work on New Zealand and Samoa after that.

"We've got a fair bit of travelling in our group as well which is exciting. A lot of countries might be worried about that but we're embracing it."