ST HELENS are now in Australia ahead of their Pre-Season Challenge against the St George Illawarra Dragons and then the Penrith Panthers – the latter, of course, is the prestigious World Club Challenge.
That concept has been unable to go ahead since 2019 due to the Covid-19 pandemic, but the Merseyside club is now Down Under, ready to fight the heat and Australia’s rugby league best.
According to the Sydney Morning Herald, over 500 supporters are expected to make the trip from the north west of England to the east coast of Australia ahead of the titanic clashes.
That is a brilliant number of fans predicted to make the journey especially in such a hard economic climate in the UK, but this Saints club oozes class from the top to the bottom.
Saints are aiming for an unprecedented fifth Super League Grand Final title in 2023, but they must go up against the Castleford Tigers in round two just a week after their World Club Challenge exploits against the Penrith Panthers.
That in itself has had an adverse effect on those teams involved in the World Club Challenge, so it will be interesting to see if Paul Wellens – as the new head coach of the Merseyside club – can help turn that statistic around.