Britain have to discover killer instinct

New Zealand could pay the price for allowing themselves to run short of numbers as Great Britain bid to salvage the Test series at Wigan tonight. Victory for the home side would mean avoiding defeat in a series for the first time since 1993. The fact that they would then "retain" the newly-instituted Baskerville Trophy is a rather contrived add-on; the point will be achieving parity with one of the two league-playing nations who have dominated for too long.

The Kiwis, who arrived with an already-depleted squad, have seen it shrink further this week, with Clinton Toopi flying home with a broken hand and Stephen Kearney to be with his ill six-year-old daughter.

Toopi's adventurous work in the centres will be missed, but it is the loss of Kearney, their most experienced Test player, that could be crucial. Like many of their forwards, he has a magical ability to slip the ball out of a tackle; unlike some of them, he knows exactly when to do it and, even more important, when not to.

Kearney is a hugely-respected player and the Great Britain camp was sincere in wishing him well when they heard of his enforced departure, but they will recognise his absence from the pack as an extra opportunity.

With Robbie Paul also ruled out by his gashed and stitched knee, it will be a much-changed Kiwi side at the JJB Stadium and much depends on how the new line-up settles down.

David Vaealiki will come in for Paul at full-back and he is an accomplished player, albeit one who might be a little rusty. Toopi's injury leaves the coach, Gary Freeman, a three-quarter short and others asking whether he should have called up replacements earlier.

The solution has been to bring the 31-year-old Sean Hoppe out of one of the shortest retirements in memory. The Kiwis' record try-scoring winger officially retired after playing for St Helens against the tourists last month, but he has won an unexpected call-up for his first Test in three years.

Freeman has listed him at centre, a position he has often filled for Saints, but plans to move Francis Meli inside and reinstate Hoppe in his old role on the wing.

Meli and his opposite wingman, Henry Fa'afili, are in line to set a remarkable record. Barring injuries, perverse tactical substitutions, visits to the sin-bin, or sendings-off tonight, they will have played in every minute of every match on this tour, short though it admittedly is at seven matches compared with the 35 played by Albert Henry Baskerville's pioneers in 1907. The principal casualty of that tour, by the way, was Baskerville himself, who died, aged 24, on the way home.

Kearney's return home does not mean the widely expected recall to the starting line-up for Ali Lauiti'iti, who has not lived up to his reputation so far on this tour, with the vacant place going to Monty Betham. David Solomona is back on the bench after injury, denying Castleford's Michael Smith the chance of his first Test cap.

Another significant decision made is that Lance Hohaia will take over goal-kicking duties from Richard Swain, whose tally of four from nine attempts so far in the series is in stark contrast to the excellence of the rest of his game.

Great Britain will wait as long as possible in the hope that Adrian Morley will recover sufficiently from a thoroughly unpleasant illness to take his place in the second row. A fit Morley would by a huge asset even to a pack that performed admirably last week and his chances of playing were optimistically described as 75-25 in his favour yesterday.

That would deny Terry O'Connor the chance to join Gary Connolly and possibly Mike Forshaw and James Lowes in making their final Test appearances in a match of great importance to British rugby league.

The JJB will be close to full for the occasion, one which, if the side can build on their fine effort last week and add just a smidgen more killer instinct, will confirm that it is moving in the right direction.