IT'S fair to say Australia and New Zealand won't be quaking in their boots, but Great Britain have a golden chance to restore some lost pride this autumn.
For the first time in almost a decade, the Lions will be jetting off next month to take part in a full-scale tour Down Under.
That's full-scale as in more than one Test, rather than the old-fashioned three-month marathon of Tests and club matches, but it is a step forward for the international game after nearly 10 years of visits to these shores by the Kiwis and Kangaroos.
The last time Great Britain ventured into the southern hemisphere, in July 2002, the ill-fated one-off Test against Australia ended in a disastrous, record 64-10 defeat.
At the time it was feared that pounding – particularly coming so soon after the dismal 2000 World Cup – could sound the death knell for the sport at international level, something many in the rather insular Australian game wouldn't be particularly upset about.
Life
But several competitive Ashes encounters since then, plus two hard-fought Tri-Nations series, have breathed new life into the international game.
The Aussies were clearly stung by their shock 24-0 humiliation at the hands of New Zealand in last year's Tri-Nations final at Elland Road and will want to extract full revenge – and re-establish themselves as the world's best – when the latest edition kicks off next month.
As holders and joint-hosts, the Kiwis have a lot to live up to, so Great Britain travel as underdogs and the team with no real pressure on them.
Outside of Brian Noble and his players, nobody will really expect the Lions to lift the trophy this year, but with credibility at stake they can't afford to roll over the way they did a year ago, when they lost three of their four matches and failed to get past the group stage.
With a World Cup – what should be rugby league's greatest ever showpiece – to be staged in Australia in two years' time, British players have to prove they can be competitive 12,000 miles away from home.
Noble this week revealed his 25-man squad and, while there's at least one notable but unsurprising omission, it looks strong enough to at least give the Aussies and Kiwis something to think about.
Players of the calibre of the injured Paul Sculthorpe and Keiron Cunningham, who has retired from international rugby, will be missed.
But this tour is an opportunity for emerging stars – such as St Helens duo James Roby and James Graham, Hull's Kirk Yeaman and Leeds Rhinos half-backs Danny McGuire and Rob Burrow – to prove they really do possess world class skills.
Yeaman is just coming back from injury, but if he reproduces his early-season form he will put real pressure on the established centre pairing of Keith Senior and Martin Gleeson.
Roby will be the back-up for hooker Terry Newton and Graham has earned his place this year after emerging as this country's best up-and-coming front-rower.
Garreth Carvell is someone else who will benefit from international experience, though his Hull team-mate Ewan Dowes would equally have been worth a shot.
They are both products of Rhinos' Academy system who left to take a first-team chance elsewhere and there's little doubt they'd have been Leeds' first-choice props now had they been kept on.
Burrow has had a wonderful season and deserves to be on tour. Probably 90 per cent of rugby league fans would have him in their 17 and, though Noble clearly has his doubts, he is likely to be used as an impact player off the bench.
St Helens' Sean Long has been one of the players of the season and he'll be the starting scrum-half if he stays fit. He has had plenty of chances at Test level and has failed to reproduce his club form, but his partnership with McGuire in the mid-season clash with New Zealand looked promising.
Facts
Noble's usual claim that he picks entirely on form isn't quite backed by the facts. Bradford Bulls' Paul Johnson – who has spent much of this season injured – is one player who can consider himself rather lucky to be included.
Salford City Reds' Malcolm Alker deserved to go as a back-up to Terry Newton – who must surely be on his last chance at the elite level – and Saints winger Ade Gardner is also extremely unfortunate not to be packing his bags.
Warrington stand-off Lee Briers would also be on the plane if the party really was picked on form. After Briers' super show ended Rhinos' play-offs hopes last weekend, his coach Paul Cullen described him as the most exciting player in Super League, bar none.
Question marks persist over his defence and temperament, but on his day, Briers can be the most devastating attacking force, as he proved at Headingley last week.
He has a rugby brain and a brilliant tactical and place-kicking game and has also shown he can cause the Aussies problems. Briers was the star when Wales tore the Kangaroos apart in the first-half of a World Cup semi-final six years ago.
Noble has bowed slightly to public opinion by including Briers in a 10-man stand-by squad, but it's clear he doesn't want to pick the Warrington star unless he really has to.
The same goes for Hull's Paul Cooke, who is another player who has had a superb season – though he has one or two off-field problems.
Overall, though, given the players available to him, Noble looks to have got the balance of his squad right.
Whether they can do any better than last year, though, now the odds are stacked against them, very much remains to be seen.

Run for your money

THREE of Leeds Rhinos' backroom staff – physio Patrick Moran, media manager Phil Daly and finance director Peter Hirst – will be racing for charity in Sunday's Great North Run.
Moran will be raising funds for the Guide Dogs for the Blind Association as part of their Guide Dogs Superhero Running Team and you can sponsor him online at www.justgiving.com/patrickmoran.
Daly is running for CAFOD, the Catholic Agency for Overseas Development and can be sponsored online at www.justgiving.com/phildaly.
Hirst is supporting local children's hospice Martin House (more information from www.martinhouse.org.uk).

Ever-busy Ben

WHATEVER you might think about rugby league referees, you can't knock their dedication.
Wakefield's rising star Ben Thaler – who has shown signs of real promise this year after overcoming a pre-season illness – was without a professional game last weekend.
Instead of putting his feet up, he turned out at Upton for their Yorkshire League Division Three clash with Lock Lane 'A'.
That really is doing it for the love of the game.

Prezza rally call

FANS of Leeds Rhinos and Castleford Tigers must be feeling pretty cheesed off at the moment, but sometimes you have to put things into perspective.
It was revealed this week that former St Helens and Hull full-back Steve Prescott – who also had a brief stint at Wakefield – is seriously ill with stomach cancer.
Prescott is only 32 and has a young family.
Rugby league prides itself on being a family sport and a sporting family.
Let's hope everyone connected with the game rallies round and does everything possible to support Prescott and his dependents at this very difficult time.