Rugby League Key Facts

If a neutral were to pick the world's current leading players, they would have to look no further than the respective captains of Australia and England, Darren Lockyer and Jamie Peacock.

Lockyer, 32, captains not only his national side but also the Brisbane Broncos in the National Rugby League, as well as the state of Queensland in the prestigious State of Origin clash every year against New South Wales.

However, he is so much more than merely a leader of men his running and vision from either full-back or stand-off have been phenomenal over the years and he is also no coward when it comes to absorbing the huge tackles that are part and parcel of rugby league.

Lockyer's all-round strength is highlighted by the way he has scored almost 1,500 points in his career and also been voted the world's best player twice, in 2003 and 2006.

Leeds Rhinos' Peacock will never match Lockyer's scoring tally, but there is no doubt he can look at the Australian as an equal.

Put quite simply, he is a colossus - a giant of a man both physically and in the way he leads from the front in the forward battles, where most rugby league matches are won and lost.
A Peacock performance would not be complete without personal bloodshed and he has refused to leave the field on several occasions, defying medical advice, to stay and drive England on.

He is a throwback to the kind of rugby league player of yesteryear and is therefore adored by the paying public who admire and respect the fact he plays without a single thought for his own personal safety.

Peacock, 31, who can play either second row or prop forward, was appointed England skipper in June 2008 and has also been voted the world's best forward on two separate occasions.