Great Britain prop Tom Burgess says his side will benefit from another week in camp together after the Lions were humbled 14-6 by the Tongan Invitational XIII in Hamilton.
While the squad came together during the World Cup Nines at Sydney's Bankwest Stadium earlier in the month, a lack of test football meant Wayne Bennett's side was exposed as their combinations failed to click on Saturday night.
Unlike 2018 when England took on New Zealand in the mid-season Denver test, the northern hemisphere powerhouse has been starved of competitive action this year in a blow to their continuity.
The new-look spine featuring Jackson Hastings and Lachlan Coote failed to offer much in attack, with their lone try coming late on the back of some nice individual play by John Bateman.
England's last test was against the Kiwis in a three-game series 12 months ago, and they'll need to find that form leading into next week's clash against New Zealand in Auckland.
"We've got quite a few players who have come in who are new to the team," Burgess said.
"It's no excuse, but we didn't have a mid-season test, so it has been 12 months since we've been together. We need to have a good week's training this week, get a few quality sessions and then look forward to New Zealand."
The Lions showed glimpses against Tonga but were always chasing the game after their opponents crossed twice in the first half, including a freakish team effort after the siren.
"I think we matched them on effort, but we've got to keep working and execute a bit better when we're down there," Burgess said.
Join us next Saturday for live updates of the Kiwis v Great Britain rugby league test.
AAP
