Wales and Scotland battle it out in Glasgow on Sunday for the right to join England and Ireland in the World Cup in Australia next autumn.

The Scots will be favourites to clinch the ninth place in the 10-team tournament after establishing a seven-point cushion from the first leg in Bridgend and they will have home advantage at Old Anniesland.

But Wales and Celtic Crusaders assistant coach Kevin Ellis believes the current Welsh side is the best since the golden era of 1991-95.

Ellis was a regular in the Welsh side in the 1990s and played alongside such greats as Jonathan Davies, Allan Bateman and Dai Young.

In 1995, just before rugby union turned professional, his side won the European Championships, reached the semi-finals of the World Cup and were awarded the BBC Wales Sports Team of the Year.

Since professionalism was officially introduced into the 15-man code, the supply of players from union dried up but Ellis believes Wales have turned a corner.

"We've got some fantastic players in the side this year - some of the best since 1995," he said.

"Iestyn Harris, who was just breaking into the side back then, is still going strong and played superbly against Papua New Guinea last Sunday - his first game for us in seven years.

"His partnership at half-back with Lee Briers is one of the best in international rugby league and we've also got some other great players coming through."

Eleven of the 25 players in coach Martin Hall's squad for Sunday's game are from Celtic Crusaders, who clinched promotion to National League One this year by winning the League Two championship.

And Ellis compared Wales' performance in the 50-10 win over Papua New Guinea to a typical Crusaders display.

"It was uncanny," he said. "It was like watching the Crusaders play - a shaky start, followed by getting things together and going into half-time with a small lead, then running away with things in the second half.

"Mind you, I'm not surprised. Some of the players were current Crusaders players and a few more will be playing for us next year and John Dixon would not have signed those players if they weren't any good."

Hall, a former Wigan hooker who played for Wales in the 1995 World Cup finals, steered the Welsh to the final of the European Championship two years ago but admits victory tomorrow would eclipse that highlight.

"It would be a great honour to lead Wales into the World Cup Finals in Australia," he said.

"It would be good for the boys and hopefully we can put some pride and passion back into the Welsh jersey.

"We showed that pride and passion on Sunday after beating Papua New Guinea 50-10 and I was pleased with the performance.

"It was an excellent way to start our 10 days together and leads us nicely into the Scotland game."

A huge prize is at stake in Glasgow but not all will be lost for the defeated side.

The losers will meet Lebanon in the semi-finals of the repechage in Widnes on Friday night, with the winners of that match taking on Samoa or the United States for the final spot in the main draw.

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