 | I am always confident we can find a result Great Britain coach Brian Noble |
Great Britain coach Brian Noble said his side's 34-4 loss to New Zealand would have no bearing on their vital game against Australia next week. The Lions have to beat Australia in Brisbane next week to reach the Tri-Nations final.
"We won't go to Australia lacking in confidence - everyone will write us off but we won't," said Noble.
"We need to have a look at ourselves and see what we did wrong. The Kiwis ran harder and tackled harder than us."
Britain's defeat was their biggest ever at the hands of New Zealand and leaves them having to beat Australia for the second time in a row if they are to reach the Tri-Nations for the first time since 2004.
Noble admitted his side had been outplayed by a Stacey Jones-inspired New Zealand, but said the players were capable of bouncing back next Saturday.
"We didn't build any pressure this week which came back to bite us," he said.
"I was a little bit disappointed - we didn't have the juice to do what we wanted to do.
"But full credit to the Kiwis. They were very strong and physical and determined.
| Everyone did their bit for the team and we got the result we wanted New Zealand captain Ruben Wiki |
"There are some lessons for us in terms of the top level, like the arm wrestle you have to get into to win the top games.
"We did that last week but we certainly didn't do that this week.
"The reality is our destiny is still in our own hands and we go to Brisbane next week knowing we have got to win.
"I am always confident we can find a result."
Great Britain captain Jamie Peacock had no excuses for his side's performance, which was a pale imitation of the display which defeated Australia last week.
"The skill was poor throughout the game," said Peacock.
"They asked us lots of questions and we did not have the answers."
Peacock was probably the pick of the Lions players, but the Leeds forward was not interested in any personal praise after the heavy defeat.
"Individual performances are not what rugby league is about, it is about team performances," he said.
New Zealand captain Ruben Wiki is a man of few words, but the world's most-capped player paid tribute to his team-mates' remarkable showing in Wellington.
"I'm very happy. Everyone did their bit for the team and we got the result we wanted," he said.
"It was believing in ourselves and concentrating on us and we really enjoyed our footy."
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Interview: Great Britain coach Brian Noble
