Britain pray for performance of a lifetime

After all the prevarication over whether it was safe to come to England, Australia get down to business in the first Test at Huddersfield tomorrow afternoon. It is to be hoped that, when the dust settles, Great Britain do not wish the Kangaroos had stayed at home.

Against a squad virtually straight off the plane, a full-strength home side – that is one with Keiron Cunningham, Sean Long and Adrian Morley on the field – would have been justified in fancying its chances.

But all three of those world-class players are injured and even their coach, David Waite, is hedging his bets with his extraordinary admission that Great Britain are not necessarily "here to win". He says: "What we're here for is to start a process."

Nothing would start the process better than a win, but that would require some remarkable performances from players thrown in at the deep end.

Richard Horne is a richly talented young player, but, if he gets a draw with Andrew Johns, it will be a huge achievement. Kevin Sinfield has looked at times like a high-class back-rower in the making, but asking him to play hooker and dummy half for a big slice of the match is a leap of faith. There is a lingering suspicion that Waite might change his line-up, especially if rain threatens to make handling difficult.

In the threequarters, there might never be a better time for Gary Connolly to break one of the most unflattering and unwanted records in rugby league than today. Connolly will be the starch in a Great Britain back line that even its friends and relations believe will struggle to hold Australia, but if he could score his first try in 24 Tests it would be a bonus.

The Wigan centre recalls it was at the McAlpine Stadium against New Zealand three years ago that he came the closest. "I got over the line but couldn't get the ball down," he says. "It's not a record that bothers me. I'd rather win a Test series than score a try."

Connolly – along with Andy Farrell, Chris Joynt and Barrie McDermott – is a survivor of the last full-scale Ashes series in 1994, when Great Britain won the first Test at Wembley in front of 57,000 people.

It is a sign of the dislocation of international rugby league that the game would be happy with filling a 26,000-capacity stadium today and putting up a decent show. It is not realistic to expect more.

But it is not all doom and doubt, because there are some genuine strengths in the British team. Considering the punishment they take, it is a miracle that the four best props in the game are fit, in form and playing the roles for their country that they do for their clubs.

The combined efforts of McDermott, Terry O'Connor, Paul Anderson and Stuart Fielden will ensure that the British pack is not steamrollered like some of its predecessors have been – even by a side with a rotating panel of five props.

The presence of Farrell and Paul Sculthorpe in midfield gives Great Britain a solid base from which to work and Kris Radlinski is due to show Australia just what an outstanding full-back he is.

Much has been made of the relative inexperience of the Australian side, but young players like Jamie Lyon and Braith Anasta have proved their ability in their first full season.

The famed depth of talent in Australia's game is illustrated in the second row. Gorden Tallis, Bryan Fletcher and Nathan Hindmarsh are all abent, but you would wait a long time to see a better game from a back-rower than Ben Kennedy's for Newcastle in their Grand Final.

One thing Great Britain will not lack is information. Waite has deluged them with it, both about themselves and the opposition. There will be no faulting the thoroughness of the preparation or the application of technology.

Sometimes, though, what is needed is something a little more old-fashioned and fundamental – like a genuine gut-feeling that the game can be won. Tub-thumping and making bold predictions are not Waite's style, but the caution of his pronouncements this week has smacked a little of getting your excuses in early.

The excuses are there, of course. All manner of long-term plans are in place – such as with the Under-21s who play in South Africa this weekend – but Waite does not really have the material to work with yet at Test level to beat Australia.

That is what logic says, but history says something subtly different. Look back at Great Britain teams that have beaten Australia in the past and there are invariably a couple of names that make you say, even with the benefit of hindsight, "How on earth did we win with him there?" It would be the same again tomorrow.

* Paul Sculthorpe's brother, Danny, is one of four non-Super League players selected for England Under-21 against South Africa in Pretoria tomorrow.