- Danny Brough, Sam Brooks and Johnny Walker were sent home for misconduct
- The trio were thought to have continued drinking well into the night
- The airline the team was using refused to allow the players to board the flight
- Scotland must beat Samoa next Saturday to secure a place in the quarter-finals
Scotland’s wretched Rugby League World Cup campaign threatens to descend into farce after captain Danny Brough, Sam Brooks and Johnny Walker were sent home for misconduct.
Steve McCormack’s side have been overpowered in their opening two Group B matches and now face a quarter-final decider against Samoa without the trio.
The players remained in Christchurch on Sunday morning as the rest of the Scotland squad departed for Cairns and will leave the tournament early.
The trio were thought to have continued drinking well into the night following Scotland’s 74-6 defeat by New Zealand in their second group game.
Scotland captain Danny Brough (right) is one of the three players to be sent home
Sam Brooks has joined Brough and Johnny Walker in leaving the rest of the team early
Scotland have lost both matches so far and have a crunch match with Samoa coming up
The airline deemed the players too drunk to board a plane from Christchurch to Brisbane, a decision that was supported by the Scotland management.
‘We expect everyone involved in Scotland Rugby League to adhere to the highest standards of behaviour,’ chairman Keith Hogg said in a statement.
‘We fully support the code of conduct that is in place for everyone who is involved in the 2017 World Cup.
‘We all understand our responsibilities to the game and we must respect the sport and everyone who is involved in it at all times.
‘Unfortunately, these three players have not adhered to those standards and those values and will be leaving early from a tournament that it is a privilege for us to be involved in.’
McCormack must now find a new captain and quickly lift his side after they conceded 124 points in their two opening matches.
Brough, who was Super League’s Man of Steel in 2013, became Scotland’s most-capped player when he made his 24th appearance in their opening game of the tournament against Tonga.
Scotland must beat Samoa next Saturday to secure a place in the quarter-finals after heavy defeats by Tonga and New Zealand.
Scotland were hammered 74-6 by New Zealand on Saturday