Noble - Lions fitter than last year

Great Britain coach Brian Noble believes his side are now better prepared for the Gillette Tri-Nations than when they failed to reach last year's final.

The Lions enter the competition when they play current champions New Zealand in Christchurch on Saturday and a number of players in the squad have played just one match in a month - last week's warm-up game against a Newcastle select side - but Noble is confident they will be ready for action.

"Adrian Morley says we are the fittest group of people he's worked with in an international side," Noble told Australian newspaper the Daily Telegraph. "We're a good team of footballers but we have to hit the ground running."

Britain claimed a 40-6 win over Newcastle in Sydney on Friday in what turned out to be a fiery encounter.

The Lions did not feature any players from the recent Super League Grand Final but were convincing seven-tries-to-one winners in a match that featured a number of scuffles.

"This year we've had the Newcastle game and preparation during the season to get us more up to speed than last year," said Noble, also reflecting on a mid-season win over the Kiwis at St Helens.

"Any team can beat the others on the day and we just have to make sure we will be competitive.

"But we're up for a tough challenge. For us to be successful (reaching the final) we've got five Test matches on the run against the two best sides in the world."