Bennett 'no' to GB role

Brisbane Broncos coach Wayne Bennett has ruled himself out of contention for the Great Britain vacancy but is confident the Lions can be competitive on the world stage.

The veteran Australian is rugby league's modern coaching guru and would have been a prime candidate to succeed Brian Noble had he been prepared to leave his beloved Broncos. He does, though, have some good news for Noble's successor, as long as the International Federation create a level playing field.

"I've my hands full at the Broncos," said Bennett, a keen internationalist who was Australia coach from 2004-5. "But I want them to do well. The Tri-Nations is alive and very healthy."

He added: "We all need Great Britain in there competing and they're not far off the money. I wouldn't be as pessimistic about them as probably a lot of people are.

"There is a lot of talent in the team, I saw that in Australia. They had a very hard ask. I think it's impossible for them to play four Tests in a row in the modern game.

"Their season finishes much later than everybody else's so they're at a disadvantage. They're making it too hard for them right now."