The British Lions have knocked New Zealand out of Tri-Nations contention after they notched a comprehensive 24-12 victory over Australia in Wigan this morning.

Buoyed by a superior completion rate and a favourable penalty count, the Lions used hard-hitting defense and desperate attack to gain control of the game after trailing 6-0 after just thirteen minutes.

Terry Newton, Stuart Reardon and Stuart Fielden scored three crucial tries for the home team before the break, to give them an intimidating 18-6 lead in front of a packed and parochial home crowd.

The Brisbane Broncos' 2005 campaign will kick off with a clash with their 2004 nemeses, the North Queensland Cowboys. The Telstra Premiership draw, released today by the NRL, has pitted the Queensland sides head to head in their first clash at the revamped Suncorp Stadium on the weekend of March 11.

North Queensland defeated the Broncos 10-0 in their Elimination Semi-Final in September, which ended the Broncos' premiership aspirations.

That match was a complete sell out at Dairy Farmers Stadium in Townsville, and that interest should transfer to a bumper crowd in round 1 next year.

Australia need to win just one of their matches against Great Britain to assure themselves of a place in the Tri-Nations final on November 27 after a comprehensive 32-12 win over New Zealand at Loftus Road in London.

The Kangaroos scored five tries to three after trailing 12-8 at half time, scoring four unanswered converted tries in the second half to dominate the Kiwis. Skipper Darren Lockyer was outstanding, scoring the match breaking try early in the second half to put Australia back in front and then handled twice as Willie Tonga scored to give Australia an 8-point buffer.

However, Lockyer left the field after Shaun Berrigan's try put Australia 14-points clear after suffering a recurrance of the rib injury that plagued him throughout 2004. The Broncos' five-eighth is in doubt for next weekend's clash with Great Britain in Manchester.

American and Australian television viewers will be treated to live coverage of the historic match between the Philips Kangaroos and the USA Tomahawks in Philadelphia.

The match will be staged at 7.30pm Eastern on November 30 in the US, which is 11.30am Australian Eastern Daylight Savings Time on December 1.

The US based FOX SPORTS WORLD will televise the match throughout its vast American Cable Network, while Australia’s FOX SPORTS will provide commentary, assist in the production and televise the match live in Australia. FOX SPORTS Australia will also replay the game at 10pm AEDST.

Broncos lock forward Tonie Carroll is set to make his Test debut when Australia takes on New Zealand in the Tri-Nations series opener in Auckland on Saturday.

Carroll, who represented New Zealand at the 2000 World Cup, is one of four debutants named in the side by coach Wayne Bennett, which also includes five Broncos.

Bulldogs Grand Final heroes Willie Tonga and Andrew Ryan, and Penrith winger Luke Rooney are the others to wear the green and gold in a Test match for the first time. Rooney and Carroll were impressive in an Australian Invitational XIII which defeated Papua New Guinea 70-22 in Townsville on Saturday.

The Australian Rugby League has included all six Broncos players from the train-on squad in the final 25-man outfit that will contest the Tri-Series in New Zealand and Britain over the next two months.

Victorious Bulldogs skipper Andrew Ryan, Clive Churchill medallist Willie Mason and teammates Willie Tonga and Mark O'Meley have also been chosen for their first international duty after Canterbury defeated the Roosters 16-13 in last night's Grand Final.

Coach Wayne Bennett said he was looking forward to coaching Mason for the first time on the tour. "He's been very, very good. I think when Steve (Price) got injured in the major preliminary game Willie stood up for his team."

As many as eight Broncos could be involved for Australia in the upcoming Tri-Nations Series during October-November, with the team to be announced in Sydney on Monday.

Coach Wayne Bennett will be in charge on his second Kangaroos team, having coached Australia for two Anzac Tests at the end of 1998.

Darren Lockyer will be named captain for his second successive tour as national leader after leading the Kangaroos to a memorable 3-0 clean sweep of last year's Ashes series in Britain.

Broncos' lock Tonie Carroll's hard work this season for his team has paid off with a call-up to the Kangaroos' Train-on Squad for their tri-series against New Zealand and Great Britain later on in the year.

Carroll is amongst 6 Broncos who have been named in the squad, with Darren Lockyer, Petero Civinoceva, Shane Webcke, Shaun Berrigan and Brent Tate also impressing the selectors enough to be picked.

Carroll has been in career best form for the Broncos this season, and is not an outsider of putting on his first Australian jersey. His hard-hitting defence and good line-breaking abilities have made him a front-runner for Broncos Player of the Year, and to pull on an Australian jersey will certainly make the Broncos' lock satisfied with his season.

The Brisbane Broncos have been knocked out of the 2004 Telstra Premiership race by their fellow Queenslanders, the North Queensland Cowboys, in a high intensity match at Dairy Farmers Stadium. In a low scoring affair, the Cowboys ran out 10-nil victors in front of a euphoric home crowd, featuring atmosphere never seen before in North Queensland.

At the end of the day, the Broncos simply lacked the enthusiasm to match it with the Cowboys, whose on line defence was absolutely superb. Last tackle options were poor from both sides, but the Cowboys had the advantage in the go forward department, with Mitchell Sargent doing the damage with an outstanding performance off the bench. Sargent was supported by fellow forwards Luke O'Donnell, Shane Tronc and Paul Rauhihi, all taking advantage of a wounded Broncos forward pack.

Things weren't going right for the Broncos before they even stepped onto the field. Gorden Tallis led the team onto the field, then left them to do the job after heading back up the tunnel looking far from 100%. To Gordy's credit though, he came on and had a solid game. However, strong performances from him, Shaun Berrigan and Tonie Carroll weren't enough to get the Broncos over the line - literally. They didn't even score a point. That is the first time they have been held to 0 since 2001, where Newcastle belted them 44-0.

At half-time, the Cowboys definately went into the sheds looking the better team, but there was still light at the end of the tunnel for the Broncos. Carroll's defensive efforts in the first half were incredible, with 26 tackles to his credit, with a lot of them one on one. He was the only player the looked to be trying to match it with the Cowboys in the toughness department. In one word, he was - outstanding. The Broncos had so many opportunities it is a wonder how they managed not to score a point. The Cowboys only gave away one penalty close to their line, in which Lockyer made the decision to tap the ball and put the Cowboys under pressure early. That was the right decision, but it was clear from that set of 6 that the Cowboys meant business. The Broncos never looked like going over the line in a combination of poor attacking decisions and Cowboys defence. It was absolutely unbreakable.

Brad Meyers has been released from his contract with the Brisbane Broncos so he can play with the Bradford Bulls in the English Super League next season. Meyers has been with the Broncos since he was seventeen years old and has played over one hundred first grade games in the NRL.

A towering back rower who has represented Queensland and Australia leaves the Broncos after two seasons littered with injuries and indifferent form. Wayne Bennett was quick to praise the decision by ‘Big Red’ saying “…Brad’s style of play is really suited to the English game, and I am sure he will make the best of the challenge that lies ahead”

This season Meyers has struggled to cement a starting position with the Broncos and this is no doubt the reason behind the switch to Bradford. Bruno Cullen who released Meyers from his contract agreed with him stating that “…he has had difficulty securing a permanent starting spot with the Broncos for the past two seasons, and has obviously assessed that his future might lie elsewhere”. Meyers will have a chance to cement a starting position with his new club under head coach Brian Noble and will no doubt become a better player from the experience.