League: Watch for fireworks says Wiki

Skipper Ruben Wiki is looking for some fireworks to prove the pundits wrong when the Kiwis take on Great Britain this weekend in a test that both sides are desperate to win.

The New Zealanders went into the tournament as third favourites and Wiki said he wasn't surprised.

"It's always the way," he said yesterday.

"We've always been the underdogs and hopefully we'll rise to the occasion and come Saturday night [Sunday morning NZT] there'll be some fireworks going on."

Wiki said the Kiwis were in a positive mood ahead of a match that would place them in prime position to qualify for the final if they won.

Australia have already guaranteed themselves the other place in the tournament decider, at Elland Rd in Leeds on November 27.

"With the Kiwis, we're a tight unit," he said.

"We go through some good times and some bad times. When we played Australia two weeks ago, that was one of the bad times, but we've stuck solid.

"That's what New Zealand is all about, sticking together through thick and thin."

Wiki said fullback Brent Webb had been working overtime on his goalkicking.

Not a regular kicker with the New Zealand Warriors this year, Webb landed two from three in the 16-16 draw with Australia in Auckland, but missed all three conversions from wide out and in wet and windy conditions in London.

Prop Nathan Cayless said the pressure was growing on the side to notch a win.

He said Great Britain played with plenty of passion and were unlucky not to come away with at least a draw last weekend.

"I'm sure they were really pumped up to play Australia and it's going to take a fair bit to get back up after their first game," he said.

"In saying that, we will really have to be on our game. The pressure is starting to build. We've not won yet and we have to get a win up."

One point of interest is whether the Lions can reproduce the same level of intensity they displayed against the Kangaroos.

Australian coach Wayne Bennett said after the match that Great Britain faced the difficult task of repeating, within a week, what he described as an outstanding performance.

Because of their bye last weekend, the Kiwis will have had two weeks to prepare, which Cayless said had been a help in acclimatising after the long flight from New Zealand.


"The week leading up to the Australian game, the boys still had a lot of jet lag. We feel really adjusted now and we're ready for this one."

The Kiwis paid for their second-half errors against the Kangaroos at Loftus Rd and Cayless said cutting down the mistakes and completing sets of tackles were priorities.

"We also have to get quick play-the-balls for our small blokes like Robbie Paul and Thomas Leuluai, so they can really have a crack around the ruck area."

The Parramatta skipper was looking forward to locking horns with a big Great Britain side.

"All three teams have big packs, but they're big across the park," he said.

"But that's what we expect and that's why we play international football. It's the type of intensity you don't get every week in the NRL."

Meanwhile, former Kiwis captain Dean Bell will present the jerseys to the New Zealand players on the eve of the test.

Bell, who won 26 caps from 1983 to 1989, said his words to the team would probably be about concentration and maintaining effort.

"I don't think I need to talk to them about pride in the shirt, because they've certainly shown a lot of that," he said.

A long-time resident of Britain, the former Aucklander said there were no divided loyalties as far as the Kiwis were concerned.


"That's not to say I wouldn't like Great Britain to do well. I've spent a lot of time here and I've had a lot of association with many of the Great Britain players over the years."


During his eight years with Wigan during the late 1980s and early 1990s he earned seven Challenge Cup winners' medals and six championships.

He was the Warriors' inaugural skipper and then returned to England, later becoming coach of Leeds.

He is now back at Wigan, where as an executive he is involved in developing young talent.

The Lions pack - containing the likes of Jamie Peacock, Stuart Fielden, Adrian Morley and Andy Farrell - was one of the best he had seen in the British national side.

He described the forwards as "big and lean, and very mobile", and said many of them were able to play the full 80 minutes.

But there were question marks over other positions, like five-eighth, where incumbent Paul Sculthorpe was not a specialist, and halfback, where different players had been tried in recent years.

The Lions were also struggling for depth at wing, with speedster Brian Carney, who came off during the second half against Australia, carrying an injury.

- NZPA


Did you know?


* Most tries for New Zealand against Great Britain is three - Henry Fa'afili (right) at Blackburn, 2002

* New Zealand first played Great Britain in a series in 1907-08, winning the series 2-1.

* Sunday morning's match will be the 100th between the two sides.

* Great Britain have won 58, the Kiwis 36. There have been 5 draws.

* Great Britain's biggest winning margin was the 53-19 win at Pau in a World Cup match in 1972.

* New Zealand's biggest winning margin was 22-4 in the one-off Auckland showdown in 1999.

* In three-test series the Kiwis have made a clean sweep only twice: in 1984 and 1996.

* Great Britain have achieved the feat five times: in 1920, 1926-7, 1932, 1951-2 and 1993