Kiwis devour Lions to keep title hopes alive

WELLINGTON, Nov 11, 2006 (AFP) - New Zealand kept their rugby league Tri-Nations title hopes alive in stunning form here Saturday with an emphatic 34-4 drubbing of Great Britain.

The Kiwis made a definitive statement about their depth of commitment with the six-tries-to-one victory, bouncing back from the Nathan Fien ineligibility affair which cost them their points from beating the Lions in the first round.

Faced with a 28-point differential before the match, Kiwi coach Bluey McClennan put pressure on his side by demanding a 14-point winning margin.

England's Leon Pryce, front left, runs out of the tackle of New Zealand's Simon Mannering in the Tri Nations rugby league match at Westpac Stadium in Wellington yesterday -AP

They matched that and more in their first legitimate win of the series putting them in credit against the Lions.

A crucial factor in the New Zealand win was the performance of Stacey Jones, who was directly involved in setting up four tries and capped the touchdowns with five out of six goal attempts.

His opposite Sean Long had an outing to forget, just a week after he orchestrated Great Britain's upset win over Australia.

His kicking was astray and he spilled a pass five minutes from the break when a try seemed certain.

Great Britain must now regroup and beat Australia next week if they are to make the Tri-Nations finals, while New Zealand need the Kangaroos to beat the Lions if they are to defend their crown.

Great Britain were denied two tries by the video referees in the dramatic match, which saw rival centres Steve Matai and Keith Senior both sin-binned following an early punch up.

Just before halftime Gareth Raynor was deemed not to have control of the ball as he dived over the line, and in the second spell Paul Wellens ran interference when Leon Pryce carved his way to the line.