League: France could bear brunt of Kiwis' frustration

1.00pm - By ROBERT LOWE

LEEDS - France could bear the brunt of the Kiwis' frustration over their Tri-Nations defeat to Great Britain, New Zealand skipper Ruben Wiki says.

The Kiwis fly to the south of France on Wednesday for a one-off test at Carcassonne the following day (Friday morning New Zealand time).

"I feel sorry for the Frenchmen next Thursday," Wiki said.

"The boys are coming off a loss and I think we'll be going pretty hard at them. We're not going to take a backward step."

Two days later, the Kiwis will be watching anxiously and hoping Australia beat Great Britain at Wigan, a result that would keep alive New Zealand's hopes of making the Tri-Nations final.

The Kangaroos have already qualified for the final in Leeds on November 27, but coach Wayne Bennett has said he intends putting on his top 17 against the Lions.

New Zealand's hopes of making the tournament decider left their own hands after they went down 22-12 to Great Britain at Huddersfield last night.

The Kiwis let slip a 12-2 first-half lead, after having appeared to have the game under control following tries to interchange forward Ali Lauitiiti and lock Sonny Bill Williams.

The 19-year-old Williams had also set up Lauitiiti's effort and his allround play in the opening spell, particularly his offloading ability under intense pressure, was the talk of halftime at Galpharm Stadium.

However, Great Britain, helped by some Kiwi ill-discipline and a series of penalties, dominated a decisive 11-minute period after the break.

During that time, they hit the front through three tries, with hooker Terry Newton getting the first and winger Stuart Reardon completing a double.

Wiki said the test, his 42nd, was the classic game of two halves.

"We controlled the ball in the first half and completed our sets," he said.

"In the second, we didn't have much ball and were tackling a lot. All credit to the Poms, they controlled the ball and came away with the win."

Wiki said he didn't believe Great Britain coach Brian Noble changed anything tactically at the break.

It was more a case of the Lions being fired up as they came back on to the field, while the Kiwis fell off their game just enough to be made to pay.

"You can't afford to give a team like Great Britain a sniff, " he said.

"They will take full advantage and the result tells the story."

The New Zealand Warriors-bound former Canberra prop played a prominent role in trying to get the Kiwis back into the match, with some strong runs up the middle.

But he was disappointed at his own performance because of the final outcome.

"I'm a hard man," he said.

"I let my team down and my country. I hate being on the losing side and take full responsibility. To come out second-best is not the way it works, so it's frustrating for me."

The Tri-Nations scenario facing the Kiwis is two-fold. As well as needing Australia to win next Saturday, they then have to beat Great Britain the following weekend at Hull to qualify for the final.

"This will probably be the first time I'll be chanting for Australia," Wiki said.

He added that the New Zealand camp remained positive about their prospects.

"We're not giving up, we're keeping the faith," he said.

"We just need to knuckle down and play for the full 80 minutes."

- NZPA