AN ALLOA rugby player has been selected to represent Scotland at an upcoming international friendly.

Lee Cairney, who plays for Forth Valley Vikings, has received his first call up to the rugby league national team this month.

The 30-year-old will be joining up with the Scotland team in the Netherlands to take part in a friendly against the Dutch on Saturday, September 14.

Speaking to Advertiser Sport, Cairney admitted he couldn’t quite believe he was getting the opportunity.

“This is my first time representing Scotland,” Cairney said. “It is quite overwhelming and I really didn’t expect it at all.

“I got a late call up – they had already released a squad and I wasn’t on it so I really didn’t expect to get the call.

“I’m looking forward to it 100 per cent, especially since I’ve only been playing rugby league for a few years.”

Cairney will travel next Friday, September 13 to Sassenheim for the event – which sees the Dutch hosts play three different countries, Scotland being one of them.

This is a big step in Cairney’s career after only taking up rugby league three years ago.

CALL UP: Lee Cairney in action for the Forth Valley Vikings.CALL UP: Lee Cairney in action for the Forth Valley Vikings. (Image: Forth Valley Vikings)

Despite being quite popular down south, rugby league is still relatively growing in Scotland, with more teams forming over recent years to spread awareness of the sport.

Cairney plays for Forth Valley Vikings and reflected on the growth in popularity of the sport in recent years.

“Rugby league is definitely growing in Scotland,” Cairney added. “There’s a lot more players and teams wanting to be involved.

“The sport struggles from a lack of funding but there have been a lot of teams doing really well which has helped to promote the sport.

“It has seen a big growth here in Scotland, so hopefully we can just keep pushing it on a local level.”

In addition to playing with the Forth Valley Vikings, Cairney also plays rugby union, playing as vice-captain for Alloa Rugby Football Club.

Alloa RFC got their season off to a flying start with a 52-12 win over Bannockburn, with Cairney slotting six conversions in the match.