Australia 33 Great Britain 10: Lockyer slams the door on Britain

Masterclass from Kangaroos skipper ends Noble's hopes

Great Britain will be missing from the final of the Tri-Nations for a second year, after they lost their tenuous foothold in the tournament in the first six minutes in Brisbane. It now falls to the reigning champions, New Zealand, to try to stop Australia in Sydney next Saturday. If they start there with Great Britain's hesitation and fallibility, there is no chance of them doing so.

Led by the outstanding half-back partnership of Darren Lockyer and Johnathan Thurs-ton, Australia were always in control. "It wasn't helpful to go 12 points down to a couple of simple plays that we should have handled," said the Great Britain coach, Brian Noble.

"But I'm extremely proud of the way the boys responded. They really stuck at it. Australia were deserved winners, but the scoreline flattered them. It's a tough ask to come out here and play five Test matches off the reel. It's the toughest ask in world sport.''

It was one Great Britain was not quite up to. They were mounting the first attack of the game when they were penalised for dragging Karmichael Hunt back over his tryline, conceded another penalty for offside in midfield and were suddenly defending their own line. On the last tackle, Lockyer put through a precise kick that found no one at home and Justin Hodges was there to touch down comfortably for the try.

Thurston then opened up play down the left. Lockyer switched it the other way with a glorious pass that sent Mark Gasnier through a gaping hole and Australia were 12 points up.

The Lions began to play when Martin Gleeson kicked ahead and regathered, only to be tackled on the last, and they built a spell of decent pressure midway through the half before Danny McGuire, forced into the role of main tactical kicker by the absence of Sean Long, put the ball dead.

Australia would have been further ahead if Brent Tate had not knocked on Gasnier's one-handed pass, before Great Britain got back into the game with an untidy try. Gasnier fumbled Andrew Ryan's pass, Gareth Raynor recovered possession and Lee Gilmour had the ball ripped out by Thurston. He got a boot to it and McGuire came from onside to kick ahead, pick up and score. His attempt to convert was an embarrassment.

The raised spirits survived a couple of minutes. Thurston went straight past Gareth Ellis and the defence was struggling. Lockyer and Mark O'Meley kept the ball alive and Hunt managed to twist and force it down despite Paul Wellens' tackle. Thurston's third goal made it a solid half-time lead, though Ellis threatened with a brave attempt when he was caught from behind by Hodges.

Great Britain found a way of making a bad job worse at the start of the second half, when Wellens put his kick-off out on the full. He was punished when Lockyer took a return pass from O'Meley to exploit another gap. Australia could have put the game to bed in the next few minutes, but Raynor's try-saving tackle on Tate took him into touch and Jamie Peacock's desperate lunge forced Hunt's foot on to the line. A superb pass from Gareth Hock released Senior for a British reply, and when he got another telling pass away to Terry Newton five minutes later, there was a hint of a fightback. But Australia underlined their superiority in the last 10 minutes with Lockyer's drop goal and Anthony Tupou's try.

Australia saved the best for last, going the length of the field after the hooter for Hunt to put in a crossfield kick for Tate to score. It was full of skill and composure and too much for Britain's honest endeavour.

Australia: Hunt (Brisbane); Tate (Brisbane), Gasnier (St George Illawarra), Hodges (Brisbane), Inglis (Melbourne); Lockyer (Brisbane), Thurston (North Queensland); Kite (Manly), Smith (Melbourne) Civoniceva (Brisbane), Hindmarsh (Paramatta), Ryan (Canterbury), O'Donnell (North Queensland). Substitutes used: O'Meley (Canterbury), Berrigan (Brisbane), Tupou (Sydney), Kaufusi (Melbourne).

Great Britain: Wellens (St Helens), Pryce (St Helens), Gleeson (Warrington), Senior (Leeds), Raynor (Hull), McGuire (Leeds), Horne (Hull), Fielden (Wigan), Newton (Bradford), Peacock (Leeds), Hock (Wigan), Ellis (Leeds), O'Loughlin (Wigan). Substitutes used: Roby (St Helens) Morley (Sydney Roosters), Gilmour (St Helens), Wilkin (St Helens).

Referee: P Simpkins (Australia).