AUSTRALIA turned on the style to stun an expectant capacity crowd at Elland Road and shatter Great Britain's hopes in the Gillette Tri-Nations final.

The Kangaroos recorded their biggest Test win in England and, like the Wallabies four hours earlier, showed how dangerous it can be to write them off.

For the rugby league boys, it was an all-too familiar anti-climax to an otherwise competitive series as Australia maintained their 32-year domination of the world game.

The embarrassment was exacerbated by the fact that no-one saw it coming. Britain had clearly been the in-form side going into the final and thoroughly deserved their 24-12 win over the Kangaroos a fortnight earlier.

But the Aussies upheld tradition by saving their best for last, producing some bewildering running and passing to sew up the game by half-time when they led 38-0.

There were echoes of Britain's record 64-10 mauling in Sydney two years ago as the visitors ripped their flimsy defence to shreds.

Trailing 44-0 two minutes into the second half, Brian Noble's men at least avoided the ignominy of failing to score when winger Stuart Reardon scored his fourth try in five matches.

But the defeat was still their worst at home in a century of Anglo-Aussie clashes, eclipsing their 50-12 hammering at Swinton in 1963.

Britain paid the price for another ineffective kicking game and their inability to stop the Australian forwards offloading from the tackle.

Kangaroo captain Darren Lockyer marked his return from injury with an accomplished display, highlighted by a 16-point haul, and Britain had no answer to his half-back partnership with the immaculate Brett Kimmorley.

They showed some early promise, with full-back Paul Wellens denied by a cruel bounce as he chased Sean Long's kick, but the writing was on the wall when prop Stuart Fielden was forced to make a flying tackle to halt winger Matt Sing in full flight for the line.

Anonymous

It was Sing, almost anonymous in the opening six weeks of the tournament, who scored the first try just eight minutes into the final when he won the raced to full-back Anthony Minichiello's kick to the corner.

Minichiello and centre Willie Tonga both touched down twice before half-time after deft touches from Lockyer, who showed no sign of rust when racing 60 metres for a try of his own following a smart offload by second rower Nathan Hindmarsh.

Noble, who surprisingly opted to start with Long and Iestyn Harris at half-back, sent on Danny McGuire on 24 minutes in a bid to pep up his side's attack but, with Britain trailing 26-0, it was already a lost cause.

The tourists threatened to repeat their first-half dominance when substitute forward Willie Mason raced onto another of Kimmorley's perfectly-judged kick to register his side's seventh try within two minutes of the re-start.

Craig Fitzgibbon kicked his second goal to add to six from six by Lockyer, but - remarkably - that completed their scoring.

Reardon stopped the rot when he raced onto McGuire's grubber kick and fellow winger Brian Carney thought he had received some reward for his honest toil when he crossed only to have the try disallowed for a forward pass.

Hooker Terry Newton also had a try disallowed as Britain enjoyed greater possession in the second half but they lacked the craft and power to further trouble the Australia defence.

The heroic defensive work by Carney and the occasional attacking burst from his centre partner Martin Gleeson were the only crumbs of comfort for a disillusioned home crowd of 39,120.

The fans' lasting memory will probably have been the video highlights of England academy's recent historic victory over Australia shown on the big screen at half-time.

The England young guns may get their turn on the big stage sooner than they expected after this humiliation by their senior colleagues.