RUGBY League officials are delighted with the response from the Blackburn public as they gear up for the first Test match to be played at Rovers' Ewood Park Stadium.

The first of Great Britain's three match series against New Zealand will be staged at the ground on Saturday, November 9, and ticket sales for this ground-breaking move have been encouraging.

RFL press officer Andrew Whitelam said: "The outlook is very healthy and initial sales have been good.

"And the really encouraging factor is that there has been a particularly strong take up in Blackburn and the surrounding area."

Great Britain coach David Waite and his 22-strong squad are due for their first full training session at the ground on Monday, with the touring Kiwis are pencilled in for their practice run on Thursday.

However, Waite and his side are currently out of the country having flown out today for a warm-up camp in Spain.

Having selected his initial 21 the Australian-born GB supremo makes his final choice after tonight's England A clash with the tourists at Brentford FC.

Waite will contact his coaching colleague John Kear, who will be in charge of England A, after the game to make his decision on the final man in his squad.

One man who will be looking to take that final berth is Wigan's Sean O'Loughlin, brother-in-law of Great Britain skipper Andy Farrell.

While Wigan loose forward Farrell jets off to the Mediterranean sunshine O'Loughlin will be gearing himself up to lead England A in the third match of the Kiwi tour at Griffin Park. O'Loughlin, one of five 19-year-olds in an exciting England squad for tonight's match, is seen by coach Kear as a natural leader - and not just because captaincy runs in the family.

Farrell, who married O'Loughlin's sister Colleen, will equal Ellery Hanley's Great Britain captaincy record when he leads the side out for the 18th time when the first test is played at Ewood Park on Saturday week.

O'Loughlin, whose father Keiron is a former player, has experience of skippering the Wigan academy team but admits he was taken aback when got the phone call from Kear, the Wigan assistant coach, inviting him to captain the team against the Kiwis and on the South Pacific tour to Fiji and Tonga.

"At the beginning of the season I didn't realise the tour was on," he said. "When I got to know about it, I thought it would be a good experience and when I was named captain I was over the moon. I had no idea."

Farrell made his full international debut against New Zealand at the age of 18 within weeks of representing Great Britain Under-21s and Kear senses history repeating itself.

"There is an irony there," he said. "I'm sure Sean O'Loughlin has got every possibility of becoming a full Great Britain international and sooner rather than later.

"The best thing about Sean is that he's a great role model. He's unflustered on the field - he just does the job and he's a very clever player. But he's a great role model off the field as well and I know he will lead his country with pride and passion."