The sigh of relief that greeted news of Lesley Vainikolo's withdrawal from the New Zealand squad was especially audible among his Bradford team-mates in the Great Britain squad.

The 6ft 2in, 18st winger was

expected to link up with the Kiwis yesterday and win his 13th cap against Britain in the third Gillette Tri-Nations game at Loftus Road on Saturday.

But the 26-year-old player,

nicknamed the 'Volcano', was instead undergoing post-season knee surgery which rules him out of the contests against Great Britain for the second successive year.

"I would have liked to play against him because he's such a good

player," said Leon Pryce.

"He's also a good friend of mine. But I've seen him trample on many a winger in his time at Bradford and I wouldn't like to have been one of those wingers.

"In my opinion, he's the best winger in the world, without a shadow of doubt. He'll be missed by New Zealand but obviously it's a gain for Great Britain."

Bradford and Great Britain skipper Jamie Peacock added: "I wouldn't have minded having a go at tackling him but I'm pleased for Great Britain because he's a big loss to the Kiwis."