GREAT Britain will have an unexpected fan cheering them on when they take on the world champions this week writes Chris Hall

David Waite's Lions are Down Under to take on Australia in a one-off Test on Friday.

With only modest success in recent Anglo-Aussie battles and only a limited band of travelling 'Pommies' to roar them on, Andy Farrell and co will be firm underdogs for the clash in Sydney.

But it seems the Green and Golds are letting some supporters slip through their fingers, with Wigan Warriors coach Stuart Raper leading the defections.

Since landing in England to rescue Castleford from relegation in 1997, Raper has played a major role in the development of British rugby.

That year the domestic game hit an all-time low as every English team was blown away by their vastly superior Antipodean counterparts in a dismal expanded World Club Championship.

But, with the last two World Club winners coming from these shores, Great Britain finally have the players to once again unsettle the Kangaroos.

Now Raper admits he wants the old enemy to go one step further and release the southern hemisphere's grip on international success.

"I'm hopeful they will do well and compete with Australia. To be honest, in the back of my mind I would like to see Great Britain win!" he confessed.

"It would be good for the game and it would show how we are making great strides over here with the game as a whole.

"I think they've got a chance with it being a one-off match and the only thing which might go against them is all the travelling.

"It's hard for me to decide who I want to win. I have been coaching over here for five years and I feel very much a part of the British game. But I'm still an Australian and that makes my decision tough."