England World Cup winner Jason’s Robinson is set to appear for Scotland in their forthcoming meetings with Australia, England and New Zealand at this autumn’s Rugby League Four Nations tournament.

Lewis Tierney, the 21-year-old Wigan Warriors full-back/winger, qualifies to play for Scotland under the grand-parent rule because Robinson’s mother Dorothy originally hailed from Kirkintilloch and has been called into Steve McCormack’s squad for the biggest challenge the Scotland coach and his players have ever faced as they take on the sport’s three super-powers.

Since Scotland qualified for a tournament which provides them with the ideal preparation for next year’s World Cup in Australia by winning the European Championship in 2015, McCormack has set about assembling his strongest ever squad for what represents one of the most formidable challenges in sport. The recruitment of Tierney, who understudies Sam Tomkins, England’s full-back who is one of the sport’s greatest modern-day players, consequently represents a major coup.

The Scottish Rugby Union attempted something similar 16 years ago when, having established himself in the great Wigan team of that era, Robinson made a big money switch of codes to join Sale Sharks in Millennium year and, after the media uncovered his eligibility, Ian McGeechan, the then Scotland head coach, registered interest in bringing him into his squad.

Robinson instead opted to play for England, however, making a near seamless switch to the 15-a-side game and going on to establish himself as one of their finest every players and scoring their only try on the greatest day in their history when they won the World Cup in 2003.

HeraldSport understands that Tierney, who made a try-scoring debut for Wigan as an 18-year-old and has scored six tries this season in 17 appearances for the club, was fully aware of his options and was keen to accept the opportunity offered by McCormack.

Tierney attended a pre-tournament gathering with other home-based players earlier this week. He will be part of one of the strongest units in the team, competing for a place with Matty Russell, the Irvine-born Warrington Wolves full-back, Davie Scott, the former Stirling County youth player who switched codes as a teenager and like Russell impressed during the 2013 World Cup and Euan Aitken, the brilliant young St George Illawarra Dragons player who is one of several players from the world’s top competition, Australia’s National Rugby League, who are taking advantage of their Scottish heritage.