SOUTH Sydney, one of Australia's most famous club sides, will be playing the Centurions on a whistle-stop tour to England in November.

Souths will take on Paul Terzis' side at Hilton Park on Tuesday, November 21 - the first time an Aussie team has played at Leigh since the 1982 Kangaroo tourists.

Leigh see the international clash as ideal preparation for their NFP season which will kick off on December 3 as well as further raising the profile of the beaten Grand Finalists.

Souths - known as the Rabbitohs - will also play Oldham and Keighley on the tour.

"It's a tremendous coup for us to have attracted a high-profile club like Souths," says Leigh's commercial manager. "We aim to make it a night to remember."

Controversially dumped from the Australian NRL competition for the 2000 season, Souths are in the middle of a long-running court battle to win reinstatement for the 2001 season which kicks off down under in February.

"The case has been running for several months and they expect a verdict in early October. If they are re-admitted then the game at Hilton Park takes on added significance for them," adds Ashcroft.

One of the founder members of the New South Wales RL in 1908, Souths - and their world famous red and green jerseys - have won 20 First Grade Premierships and 20 Reserve Grade Premierships in their history as well as producing more Australian captains and Test representatives than any other club.

In preparation for their possible return to the 2001 NRL, Souths have recently played the USA Tomahawks and Lebanese World Cup squad in front of 20,000-plus crowds at their Redfern Oval stadium.

For those two games they were coached by Craig Coleman, who saw service in England with Salford and Hull. In the Souths team for the two games were Tony Iro (who played with Leigh in 1990) and Darrall Trindall, released from his St Helens contract earlier this year.

Also named in the tour squad are former Leigh prop Steve Driscoll, Fiji international Kaliova Bose, Cook Island international Tere Glassie, ex-Sydney Rooster Michael Lyons and former Balmain Tiger Craig Carrington.