Bradford Bulls have four in Ireland squad for Scotland game

That autumn international takes place on Saturday, October 27 at Gateshead International Stadium, the match being staged in partnership with Betfred League 1 side Newcastle Thunder.

Joe Keyes, whose signing from Halifax was confirmed by Bulls at the start of July, is likely to start in the halves for the Irish.

Another player who will be expecting to be in from the off is Ronan Michael, the prop leaving York to come to Bradford for next season.

Two of their new team-mates will be hoping to play some part in the game against the Scots up in the North East too.

Academy duo Jamie Gill and Conlan Mawson have both been named in the ‘long-haul’ list, which contains 46 players.

That will be trimmed to 24 ahead of the game, with Gill and Mawson probably both outsiders to make the cut, given their age and inexperience.

Jamie Gill hopes 2025 will be his breakthrough year in Bulls' first team, and he might get chance to showcase his talents against Scotland with Ireland later this month. (Image: Tom Pearson.)

But Ireland have already earmarked the pair as important players for the future.

This international against Scotland will see both sides looking to gain world ranking points, though neither country can qualify for the Rugby League World Cup in 2026.

Wales, France, Serbia and Ukraine will battle it out in a four-team mini-tournament next week, in their attempts to qualify.

France's squad contains centre Romain Franco, who spent the second half of this season on loan at Bulls from Wakefield, while Wales' features Keighley Cougars winger Billy Walkley.

The winner of next week's tournament in the South of France will face Jamaica, the Cook Islands and South Africa in the 2025 World Series.

The winner and runner-up in the four-team World Series will qualify for the following year’s 10-team World Cup.

England, Australia, New Zealand, Fiji, Samoa, Tonga, Papua New Guinea and Lebanon have all already qualified for the 2026 tournament.