Shining Knights a test for Noble art

For the Bradford Bulls coach, Brian Noble, Friday night marks another opportunity to try to out-manoeuvre Australia's best. Noble was a valued assistant to David Waite in Great Britain's ultimately unsuccessful Ashes bid last autumn. This week, his club side try to hang on to one trophy that is in British hands.

Bradford hope to match St Helens' achievement in beating Brisbane in last year's World Club Challenge when they meet the Newcastle Knights at Huddersfield. "It's another challenge for the club and a challenge for the domestic game, after the credibility that Saints brought last year," he says. "The evidence for that is how seriously Newcastle are taking it."

The annual fixture between the champion clubs in the two countries has sometimes withered in the face of Australian apathy, but the Knights have shown great enthusiasm ever since they qualified for the match by beating Parramatta in their Grand Final. "They have a couple of players missing, but they are still full of world-class players," says Noble. "They showed what a good side they are in the Grand Final. That first half was as near perfect as you can be. I'm hoping that we will be slightly more aggressive and force them into a few mistakes."

To do that, Bradford must manage something that Great Britain never consistently achieved in the Tests – get at the Newcastle captain and scrum-half, Andrew Johns. "He's a great player and a nice bloke," says Noble. "It's hard to dislike him, but it's a huge plus for me that I spent most of the autumn trying to work out what to do against him."

Paul Deacon, the British scrum-half in the third and deciding Test, will face Johns again on Friday – a match that could signal his promotion in the pecking order at Bradford. Henry and Robbie Paul kept Deacon on the bench for much of last season, but he will now get the extra responsibility he craves. "He had some frustrating times last year," admits Noble. "He's going to have to play a lot this year and he's grown enough in confidence to do that."

That matches Deacon's own view. "People still look at me as a young lad, still growing up," he says. "I've got to get rid of that and say 'I want to be first-choice'."

Although Noble says that no one will get into the side because of his goal-kicking, Deacon's marksmanship streng- thens his case. Facing the world's best again on Friday, that and all other aspects of his game will be under scrutiny. "It's a great chance for me," he says. "But there's so much competition at this club now that you have to play well week in, week out."