Scotland boss Steve McCormack was passionate in his defence of Workington after scathing remarks from the New Zealand camp following Friday's Four Nations clash.

Following the 18-18 draw with the Scots at the Zebra Claims Stadium, Kiwi boss David Kidwell indicated he thought the venue was not up to Test standard.

He said: "We are always looking to grow the game and we want to be part of that.

"But we've got some world-class players out there and we need some world-class fields to make sure that this game and Test match football stays where it should be."

McCormack, whose Scotland side has called Workington their 'second home' jumped to its defence.

"This venue and this area is a fantastic hotbed for rugby league," said McCormack, whose side has an unbeaten four-match record in Workington.

"If anybody had seen how hard people have worked to get this game on, and the way they've supported us and not only us but rugby league as a whole.

"Sometimes Cumbria is a bit of a forgotten area and anybody who was here today or back in 2013 will have seen how fantastic this area is.

"I don't know what exactly has been said but it's a bit disrespectful if that's been said.

We couldn't have been treated any better."

And when questioned whether he thought this was a world class venue, his response was immediate.

"Yes," he stated. "We played in the World Cup at Rockhampton in 2008. So what do you class as a world class stadium?

"You've got passionate fans, got a great atmosphere, a fantastic area with all the young kids that come to watch, the choir and all the schools here.

"These tournaments have also got to leave a legacy and it's important that areas such as West Cumbria are not forgotten. There's no better place to play rugby than here."