St Helens fans will not agree but Leeds Rhinos' Grand Final victory was good news for rugby league.

Under Ian Millward and his successor Daniel Anderson, Saints have lifted the bar and set the standards for their engage Super League rivals to match.

Such has been their domination, over the last two years especially, that it seemed there was a danger of them pulling away from the chasing pack.

But Leeds' crushing triumph at Old Trafford quickly put an end to those thoughts and gave renewed hope to a host of other potential champions.

With an average age of 26 and with all their playing squad under contract for next season, the Rhinos will be well fancied to retain their title in 2008 under new coach Brian McClennan.

But Wigan and Bradford will take encouragement from Saturday's result while Hull, Warrington and Huddersfield too will go into next season with an extra spring in their step after Saints' supposed infallibility on the big stage came crashing down around them.

Of course, St Helens will remain a force and, with Anderson in charge for the last time, their players will have extra incentive to bounce back next season.

There have been signs that their power is on the wane, with the old guard of thirty-somethings Paul Sculthorpe, Keiron Cunningham and Sean Long gradually entering the twilight of their outstanding careers.

But the next generation - in the shape of Jon Wilkin, James Graham and newly-crowned Man of Steel James Roby - is already starting to make its presence felt to ensure Saints will remain competitive for years to come.

Leeds, too, are reaping the rewards of an effective youth policy, with the bulk of their Grand Final-winning side having come through the system at Headingley.

Meanwhile, it is to be hoped that Tony Smith's Midas touch will rub off on Great Britain now he has gone full time with the national team.

The Lions have slipped back over the last decade or so to become a distant third in the world rankings and in the forthcoming Test Series against New Zealand will be hoping to strike a psychological blow ahead of next year's World Cup.

The Kiwis flew into London today under something of a cloud following their shock 58-0 defeat by Australia in Wellington and will be under pressure to redeem themselves at the hands of Smith's men.

With several established internationals giving the three-match series a miss in order to get themselves in good shape for 2008 and the World Cup, there will be plenty of chances for new players to break into the big time.

Danny Tickle (Hull), Jamie Jones-Buchanan (Leeds) and Richard Moore (Wakefield) have been outstanding in Super League this season and deserve a chance to play at a higher level.

If their 11-try mauling by the Kangaroos was not bad enough, New Zealand also lost a couple of players to injury and that could pave the way for a recall for Bradford winger Tame Tupou.

He will play for the All Golds at Warrington in Saturday's centenary international against the Northern Union, which is effectively a Great Britain XIII, with the incentive of playing his way into the Test series.

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