Sporting Bygones: Back when there was pride in the Lions and they took on the whole world

Steve McNamara's England fly home from Auckland this morning on the back of a deeply unsatisfying Four Nations tournament, Saturday's dead-rubber victory over Papua New Guinea doing nothing to assuage the sense of customary failure.

However, in the autumn of 1988, the national team was riding on a high having returned from a far more arduous, injury-ravaged 18-match odyssey through Australia, New Zealand and Papua New Guinea with an historic Test win under their belts.

Written off by everyone but themselves, Malcolm Reilly's spirited tourists had defied massive odds to stun Australia in a memorable Third Test at the Sydney Football Ground, winning on Australian soil for the first time in 14 years.

It was not enough to take the series and ultimately they went on to squander a gilt-edged chance to qualify for the World Cup final, but in ending a 15-match losing run at the hands of the Kangaroos, they at last broke down that previously destabilising belief that their rivals were almost invincible.

With such talents as the devastating captain Ellery Hanley, artisan scrum-half Andy Gregory, his prodigious half-back partner Shaun Edwards and the lethal Martin Offiah, confidence was suddenly instilled that suggested Reilly's embryonic Lions side was beginning to show real signs of growth. And so it was, when they staged the Whitbread Trophy Bitter Challenge fixture against the Rest of the World at Headingley on October 29, a new-found hope had spread around the game.

The contest was fittingly staged as part of the celebrations surrounding the opening of the RFL's Hall of Fame at Bentley Arms, Oulton near Leeds, where nine legends, such as Billy Batten, Jonty Parkin, Harold Wagstaff and Albert Rosenfeld, had all been inducted.

It was the first chance fans had to welcome home their heroes and it proved an entertaining duel, an eclectic mix of overseas imports and seven more international stars flown in especially, ensuring there was plenty of alluring talent on show.

The great Wally Lewis failed to arrive as planned, the Australian captain having broken his arm in the World Cup final against New Zealand less than three weeks earlier.

However, his team-mates Alfie Langer, the budding scrum-half who won man-of-the-match in that showpiece victory over the Kiwis, and Dale Shearer did appear along with ex-Kangaroo Noel "Crusher" Cleal, the robust second-row who joined Hull FC a year later.

Their World Cup winning coach Don Furner took charge of a team which featured stellar English-based Aussies – Gavin Miller (Hull KR), Steve Ella (Wakefield) and Michael O'Connor (St Helens) – who had also all played in the final.

Reilly had taken charge of Leeds as well on his return from the problematic tour, swiftly guiding them to a Yorkshire Cup success over his erstwhile club Castleford at Elland Road a fortnight before. He now found himself pitting his wits against two of his own imports, the moustached Australian duo of Cliff Lyons and Sam Backo who, along with Andrew 'ET' Ettinghausen had such a marked impact at Headingley.

Meanwhile, some of those defeated Kiwis, including Widnes' mountainous Kurt Sorenson and Wakefield second-row Mark Graham – who captained the Rest of the World – had to quickly put their own disappointments behind them as they joined forces with their victors to tackle the Lions.

"Graham was a great player," recalled Reilly. "He'd got everything – size, pace, good feet, skill and he was an intelligent player who could come up with some second phase play.

"That Rest of the World team had a formidable back-row with Gavin Miller in there too.

"He was a true workhorse who had played injured in the Hull Kingston side we (Castleford) beat at Wembley in 1986.

"A tough Cronulla lad, he'd have made a big improvement in that Hull Kingston team if he'd have been fit and could have been the difference. He played great for the Rest of the World too."

Indeed, with the disappointing Langer struggling to impose his flair, the durable Miller was the pick of the visiting side as they staged a late fightback.

After an evenly-balanced battle, Great Britain seemingly pulled clear when Leeds centre Garry Schofield – who had missed the Sydney highlight having flown home early with a broken cheekbone – dived over in the 63rd minute, club colleague David Stephenson converting to make it 30-18. But French captain Hugues Ratier, bringing Gallic flair alongside hooker Thierry Valero with Papuans Arnold Krewanty and Bal Numapo adding to the multi-national amalgamation, responded before O'Connor did likewise in the penultimate minute to set up a frantic finish.

The hosts, inspired by a magnificent performance from the marauding Castleford prop Kevin Ward and ably supported by Leeds front-row Hugh Waddell, managed to hold on though and secure a 30-28 triumph in front of a decent crowd of almost 12,500.

Reilly had justifiably remained largely faithful to his tourists.

Only David Plange, the robust young winger he had unearthed while in charge of Castleford, did not feature on that earlier trip but he impressed his former coach during that Yorkshire Cup final loss to clinch a place. Ten of the players who defeated Australia remained, the side augmented by the return of Schofield, Andy Platt and Edwards – who had all departed early due to injuries – and the gifted Castleford hooker Kevin Beardmore who was struck down by the dreaded tour jinx just days before Sydney.

Casting an eye over the calibre of player on show that afternoon at Headingley, it was clear Great Britain were on the cusp of finally being able to test the Green and Golds on a more consistent basis.

It came as no surprise, then, that Reilly rated his matured side two years later as the best under his command. Unfortunately, the fact remains; not since his days as a player in 1970 have the national side overcome their nemesis in a Test series.