LEIGH will be on a spying mission in their own back yard tomorrow!

They will be running to rule over a number of possible targets when the Cook Islands take on Russia at Hilton Park in the Emerging Nations World Cup, kick off 7.30pm.

"It's an ideal opportunity for us to look for new talent," says Leigh's managing director Mick Higgins.

The Cooks Islands are the favourites for the tournament and will provide the same type of entertainment as Tonga, Papua, Fiji and Samoa have in the main competition.

Their star players are Oldham prop Jason Temu and 1993 New Zealand tourist, hooker Denvour Johnston. Half-back Ali Davys has played in the Winfield Cup in Australia with Gold Coast Seagulls, stand-off Craig Bowen with Illawarra and Meti Noovao, a 1993 Junior Kiwi centre, with Auckland Warriors.

Another of interest is 15 stone winger Lloyd Matapo - a chef with the appropriate middle name of Bacon!

The Russians Bears are more of an unknown quantity with their players mainly drawn from the three Moscow clubs - Minkas, Spartak and Magicians.

They did show something of their huge potential with a 19-12 win over the USA in San Francisco last autumn.

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