Oslo Capitals provide the bulk of the Norway squad picked to face Denmark in the opening game of the 2014 Nordic Cup in Oslo this weekend, while Lars and Nils Haigh are two of three representatives from Saddleworth Rangers. Coach Craig West is back on board for the tournament having worked with the national side in 2011.

“I’ll be interested to see the progress the country has made in the last three years,” he commented. “Rugby league in Norway is still very young in this mentally-tough sport but we are looking to build on the enthusiasm in the country.”

He added, “I also hope to bring the team a modernized structure without overcomplicating things. Attack is of course a very important part of the game and to have players that can score a try from anywhere on the field offers the threat of winning a game. But a side that has a well organised defence will always be victorious. The match with the Danes will show us where we stand and what we need to modify. We can then use that knowledge gained to prepare for the tie against holders Sweden at the end of August.”

Pictured: Sonny Mellor will look to lead Norway from the front.

NORWAY SQUAD

Magnus Sundsfjord (Bodo Barbarians), Christian Brakstad Glendrange, Harald Mikalsen, Kristoffer Milligan, Lloyd Omdal (Flekkefjord Tigers), David Hunter, Sonny Mellor, Sindre Sundby (Flisbyen Broncos), Henrik Edvardsen, Peter Engeland, Hans Frøhaug, Bastian Fromm, Joshua Hornby, Bent Johansen, Cameron Leslie, Alex Mbala, Erlend Meldalen, Nick Palmer, Bjorn Pettersen, Trent Rowan, Isaac Schmidt, Jorgen Schmidt, Andreas Thorsen (Oslo Capitals), Kevin Batnes, Matthew Davidson, Kai Holm, Emil Lunde, Freddie Ostvold (Porsgrunn Pirates), Lars Haigh, Nils Haigh, Tommy Hilton (Saddleworth Rangers)