Four Nations preview: Sam Burgess return, Scotland surprise and Southern Hemisphere threats

The tournament kicks off this weekend with Australia vs Scotland and England vs New Zealand

Sam Burgess touches down for England in the World Cup semi-final in 2013 (Getty)

The Rugby League Four Nations Tournament kicks off this weekend with three of the participants having good reasons to believe that they can win it.

Even Scotland, who might look as though they are there to make up the numbers, are making all the right noises, although it is hard to imagine Friday night's opening match against Australia in Hull as anything more than an exercise in damage limitation.

The Scots, who have never faced the might of the Aussies before, have seven new caps in their side, including attacking talents like Matty Russell and Lewis Tierney, who played on opposite sides in the Super League Grand Final earlier this month.

Others with potential to cause the Kangaroos some embarrassment are the North Queensland Cowboys' Lachlan Coote and Ryan Brierley, whose mid-season transfer from Leigh to Huddersfield might not have worked out too well, but who is a prodigious try-scorer.

Up front, there is the experience and muscle of Luke Douglas to add to the mix, as well as the phenomenal kicking game of Danny Brough, which can torment and frustrate the best.

If the Scots want other reasons for optimism, they could point out that the Aussies are in something of a stage of transition, with stalwarts like Paul Gallen and Greg Bird leaving the stage.

The spine of Darius Boyd, Johnathan Thurston, Cooper Cronk and Cameron Smith remains intact, however, with the all-round skills of Greg Inglis now likely to be deployed at centre.

World Cup winners Australia are going through a transitional phase (Getty)

Cronulla's quicksilver Valentine Holmes looks to be the most exciting of the newcomers, whilst one curiosity is the appearance of Tyson Frizell, who played last season for Wales. As ever, the Four Nations raises some tricky issues of nationality.

The match that most followers of the code are really looking forward to this weekend is between England and New Zealand at Huddersfield on Saturday.

There is hardly such a thing as a dull Anglo-Kiwi Test, although New Zealand will have to improve on their limp performance against Australia in their warm-up game in Perth to make a game of it.

The Kiwis lost by a clear 20 points that day and, with their recent good record against the Kangaroos, it felt like a throwback to the bad old days when they failed to compete with their neighbours.

New Zealand lost their coach to the NRL recently (Getty)

They admittedly had the disruption of their coach, Stephen Kearney, leaving his post to take over at the NRL side, the New Zealand Warriors.

David Kidwell, who takes over, is out of the same mould, but Kearney has been a particularly effective Kiwi coach and will be hard to replace.

When New Zealand won the World Cup in 2008, however, he had one Wayne Bennett in his corner – an arrangement which proved a highly effective combination.

Scroll forward a few years and Bennett, a proud Australian, is coaching England. Nobody ever promised that the Four Nations would not be confusing.

Perhaps it is the presence of the so-called Master Coach, or the suspicion that their rivals are not at their best, but England feel that they have a real chance of winning the tournament.

When you look for truly outstanding players, proven in the NRL, a healthy number of them are English – and there was never any doubt that Bennett would call them up.

Australian Wayne Bennett was named head coach in January (Getty)

There is Sam Burgess, of course, bristling with intent after his excursion into rugby union; he has been named captain, but that could equally well have gone to James Graham, another Sydney-based Englishman, who if anything wears his heart even more prominently on his sleeve.

Then there is Josh Hodgson, whose performances for the Canberra Raiders made him, in most people's eyes, the best hooker in the country, and a number of other Brits who have proved their worth Down Under.

England should not be overwhelmed by anybody in the forwards, but the question for Bennett is how he uses his more limited resources in the half-backs.

England need a win to ignite the tournament and send them into next weekend's double header at Coventry, which is an interesting choice of venue to say the least.

Next Saturday will see England play Scotland and Australia face New Zealand at the Ricoh Arena. The following weekend has the big clash between England and Australia at the London Stadium – hopefully with a lot less stewards required than for a West Ham home match.

The Scots get as close to Scotland as they are going to when they play the Kiwis at Workington, whilst the whole thing is wrapped up – leaving at least two nations bitterly disappointed – with the final at Anfield on November 20.

FOUR TO WATCH...

Sam Burgess is back in League after his Union sojourn last year (Getty)

SAM BURGESS (ENGLAND) His return and anointment as captain is of great symbolic value. He will be a passionate leader, but he must avoid trying to do it all himself.

VALENTINE HOLMES (AUSTRALIA) Dazzling talent on the wing who had much to do with Cronulla winning their first Grand Final.

LEWIS TIERNEY (SCOTLAND) 'Son of Jason Robinson' seemed a heavy mantle to carry, but Tierney has had an outstanding season with Wigan.

SHAUN JOHNSON (NEW ZEALAND) If he runs at opposing defences the way he is capable of, then anything is possible for the Kiwis.