Confident Shontayne Hape reckons New Zealand can still shake up this year's Tri-Nations.

After missing the last Test with a knee injury, the Bulls star returns for the Kiwis tomorrow morning as they bid to drag down upbeat Great Britain.

The desperate holders must win to have any chance of reaching the final, having been stripped of both points from their success over the Lions a fortnight ago.

New Zealand - having lost twice against Australia - defeated Britain in Christchurch only to be hit for fielding an ineligible player.

Now they are in the last-chance saloon and even victory might not steer them into the Sydney finale if Britain draw or win their remaining match with the Kangaroos.

But Hape, 24, insisted: "We know we can beat them.

"As long as we hit our straps, play the way we want to play, we should be fine. We need to make sure we get the two points and then we'll let Great Britain and Australia take care of itself in the last game.

"We are not trying to get too far ahead of ourselves. We are just concentrating on this match first and foremost and just making sure we get the victory."

The disappointment of suffering that two-point penalty for fielding Aussie-born Nathan Fien has now gone and Hape can't wait to line up against some familiar Super League faces, including his own Bulls team-mate Terry Newton.

Hape will start on the wing in Wellington and said: "It's nice to get named in the side any time of year. I missed out on two games and it was frustrating watching on the sidelines but I'm looking to get back on the field and get our Tri-Nations campaign back on track.

"We're upbeat as we're not out of it yet. What's happened has happened and it's in the past now."

Lions coach Brian Noble knows all about the danger posed by Hape, having signed him for Bradford.

"I thought he was outstanding against Australia and he was a big loss for them," said Noble. "There's no shortage of information on Shontayne but just to focus on him alone would be detrimental to what else we've got to achieve." The Kiwis have made a number of changes to the side that beat the Lions in Christchurch, reverting largely to the team that was narrowly beaten by Australia in game two of the series. Danny McGuire has recovered from the thigh injury that ruled him out on the eve of the Australia game and although Noble admitted it was a tough decision not to recall the Leeds stand-off, who will be 18th man, he felt he had to keep faith with the side that beat the Kangaroos.