Kiwi test enables Schofield to recall high point

The former Leeds stand-off was vice-captain on the famous 1990 tour of New Zealand and Papua New Guinea, when a vastly-understrength and inexperienced Great Britain headed out, offered little chance of success against a Kiwi side littered with greats such as Gary Freeman, Kevin Iro and Hugh McGahan.

A host of the Lions' finest players – Ellery Hanley, Shaun Edwards and Andy Platt to name three – pulled out beforehand and the trip was blighted with plenty more injuries along the way.

They started in calamitous circumstances by losing for the first time ever against Papua New Guinea, a game played amid suffocating conditions at high altitude in Goroka and held up in the first half when police had to fire tear gas at a section of supporters denied entry to the ground.

Schofield endured a torrid game personally in the shock defeat but responded to help the struggling tourists to a comfortable victory in the second Test before proving his class in New Zealand, third-choice captain Mike Gregory setting a brilliant lead as Malcolm Reilly's men delivered the first series win Down Under since 1979.

"People didn't really expect us to compete and certainly not actually win the series," he told the Yorkshire Post.

"All the big boys didn't want to come because we had three weeks in PNG before seven weeks in New Zealand so we went out there as a very young, inexperienced team, excellently led by 'Greg'.

"There were no expectations on us but the team spirit was the best I've experienced in four Great Britain tours and, if Martin Offiah had not dropped the ball under the sticks, we'd have won (the series) 3-0."

After Schofield's drop-goal edged an 11-10 success in the opener at Palmerston North, Offiah finished off a spectacular 75m move to earn Great Britain a 16-14 triumph in the following Test at Auckland, the tourists withstanding huge amounts of pressure in both games.

But the prolific Widnes winger infamously and embarrassingly fumbled trying to place the ball down one-handed in the third Test which Britain went on to lose 21-18.

An unplayable Schofield, not long since switched from centre, carved up the Kiwis for almost all his side's tries during the three games as the likes of Jonathan Davies, Bobbie Goulding and Lee Jackson all made their debuts and Sheffield's Daryl Powell and Bradford's Karl Fairbank added to their solitary caps.

"As I keep reminding Martin, if it'd had not been for his mistake, the success would have been even more historic," he said.

"That was the only disappointment – that we didn't win 3-0.

"They never saw it coming that we'd take the series.

"They were the quality New Zealand team – Tawera Nikau, McGahan, the Iro brothers, Mark Horo – and were fully expecting a 3-0 series win.

"I was honoured to be Mike Gregory's vice-captain and, after winning the man of the series, it was one of the highlights of my career.

"One of the big reasons was Mal Reilly was coach and he made sure everyone got on with another.

"The team spirit was excellent, there were no egos and everyone gelled – that's why we won the Test series."

There are echoes with today's England squad; Stuart Fielden said this week that he had not encountered a better team spirit in his entire international career while the average age of the youthful squad is just 25 compared to Reilly's ensemble who were younger still at only 23.

However, Schofield believes their chances of going on and winning the tournament are 'slim'.

"Our forwards will certainly compete with New Zealand and Australia but our lack of creativity in the halves and our finishing power will hurt us," he said.

"It's been proven over the last few years and will be again now."

Surely the arrival of Wigan's supremely gifted stand-off Sam Tomkins – the 21-year-old who has mesmerised Super League defences for the last two seasons – disproves that theory?

"I really rate Sam Tomkins very, very highly – along with Kyle Eastmond he's one of the best individual players around – but the fact is he's not a creative player," insisted Schofield, with 46 appearances, the most capped Great Britain international of all time alongside Mick Sullivan

"People say he's at his best at full-back but I think he needs to be closer to the action at six yet he's still not an organiser. We've not had one of those for Great Britain or England since me and Andy Gregory were together.

"Sam's going in the right direction. People keep saying we shouldn't put him under too much pressure but I think he thrives on that. He loves it and has proved it this year with Wigan. But overall I think we'll struggle."