Tidy purse for Tri-Nations winner

The winning team in the Tri-Nations tournament will receive Stg100,000 ($NZ271,000) in prize money, England's Rugby Football League said today.

RFL chairman Richard Lewis said the prize money structure for the series, which is sponsored by Gillette, had been confirmed.

The losing finalists would get Stg50,000, and the third-placed team Stg25,000.

The tournament is halfway through its round-robin stage, with the next match between New Zealand and Great Britain at Huddersfield on Saturday.

"The tournament is already capturing the imagination of sports fans in the Northern and Southern Hemisphere and is proving to be an excellent showcase for international rugby league," Lewis said.

The fixtures in England have so far attracted strong crowds.

The New Zealand-Australia clash at Loftus Road in London was a 16,750 sellout, while the Great Britain-Australia match last Saturday drew 38,572 spectators to the 48,500-capacity City of Manchester Stadium.

About 17,000 tickets have been sold for the Huddersfield test, which is being staged at the 24,500-capacity Galpharm Stadium.