British rugby league supremo Richard Lewis has hailed the 2006 Tri-Nations a major success and expects it to produce another handsome profit.

Great Britain's surprise win over Australia in Sydney has thrown the competition wide open and guaranteed bumper crowds for their two remaining round-robin matches in Wellington and Brisbane.

A total of 90,567 fans have watched the four games so far, which is down on the inaugural tournament in 2004 but represents a significant increase on the figures at the same stage last year.

The aggregate total of 182,313 for the seven matches in 2004 helped generate a profit of £750,000 and, although crowds were down last year after a poor showing by Britain, the tournament still ended up in the black.

With interest at fever-pitch for Saturday's crucial Test in Wellington and pre-match sales for the Lions' re-match with Australia in Brisbane on Saturday week already topping 30,000, the signs are the tournament, which is being held Down Under for the first time, will once more generate much-needed cash for the international game.

"I know ticket sales are very strong for Brisbane and I'm sure Wellington is going to be full on in terms of attention because of all the problems with the ineligible player," said Lewis, the RFL executive chairman who arrived in Australia today.

"The tournament has been a very exciting one on and off the pitch. Some things have happened which we wish hadn't happened but basically it's attracted a very high profile indeed and the results have been unpredictable.

"We're not doing the book-keeping but we believe it's been a success and we expect that to be reflected in due course in the financial outcome."

The Tri-Series will go into cold storage at the end of the year, with New Zealand due to tour Britain in 2007.

The triangular tournament was seen as a three-year experiment designed to set the scene for the 2008 World Cup in Australia, which will help commemorate the centenary of the game Down Under.

It will, therefore, be 2009 at the earliest before organisers could stage another Tri-Nations Series, although by then it is hoped France will have improved sufficiently to make it a four-team competition.

Lewis believes the Tri-Series has re-ignited interest in the international game and provided Australia, who have been widely criticised in the past for their reluctance to examine the wider picture, with an opportunity to test the waters ahead of the World Cup.

"The whole point is that people should be left wanting more because the next thing that is going to happen is the World Cup," said Lewis.

"We will have a tour over here in 2007 but it should allow for a massive build-up to the World Cup.

"The Tri-Nations was always meant to lay the foundation for a successful World Cup and I'm sure that's exactly what it's doing.

"I'm sure the Australians will feel they've learned a lot and it will stand them in good stead for the World Cup. I think it's been a huge success in that sense as well."

Lewis is expected to finalise details of the New Zealand tour at the International Federation meeting in Brisbane on Friday but says the Kiwis will be playing Great Britain rather than England.

It was expected that the switch to England would be made 12 months ahead of the World Cup, for which Wales, Scotland and Ireland are competing for places, but Lewis confirmed that Great Britain will remain in existence for one last series.

"We always said England would play in the World Cup," he said. "Next year will be the last time Great Britain will play. They will be England after that."

Whether Brian Noble will still be coach of Great Britain in 2007 remains to be seen.

His three-year contract runs out later this month and Lewis confirmed that no decision will be made on his future until after a December debrief.

"It's too soon to say," added Lewis. "As with any international series, we have a debrief afterwards and it will be no different this year.

"Brian will be right in the thick of that debrief and able to express his views.

"We will have to see what comes out of the debrief, where Brian's at and how things are going. We'll take a view on it then."