“The rest of the squad are disappointed, frustrated and probably a bit angry”

Scotland Rugby League chairman Keith Hogg says Danny Brough has apologised after he and teammates Johnny Walker and Sam Brooks were sent home for misconduct.

The Bravehearts’ trio were too drunk to board the plane to Cairns after they carried on drinking into the night following the heavy defeat to New Zealand in Christchurch.

Speaking about the incident, Hogg said: “It was not obvious until we got to the airport what the situation was but the airline had their rules and we completely supported them in their decision-making.

“Certainly the best known of the three players was extremely apologetic when I talked to him on the phone last night. We’ve been in touch with them a lot and the World Cup team have provided tremendous support.”

Scotland have suffered heavy back-to-back World Cup defeats to Tonga and New Zealand but can still qualify for the quarter-finals with victory in their final group game against Samoa.

“Clearly the rest of the squad are disappointed, frustrated and probably a bit angry with the other three guys over what’s happened,” Hogg added.

“But the other 21 players of the squad we have in Cairns are actually in good spirits. They have pulled together extremely well after the initial shock and they are very focused on giving their absolute best on the field on Saturday.”