The best club side in rugby league will be crowned on Saturday night when Super League champions St Helens take on the NRL winners Sydney Roosters for the coveted World Club Challenge title at the Totally Wicked Stadium.
The Australians have dominated this competition in recent times so there will be a little bit of pressure on the Saints to see if they can bring the trophy back to England for the year. Sydney Roosters are going for a fourth title.
St Helens
There is always the school of thought whenever this competition is held in England that the Super League side have the advantage as their season has begun. St Helens are three games into their title defence and in that time they have two wins and a defeat on their ledger so they have started their campaign in solid fashion, if not quite as spectacular as they were last term. They will have had this in their sights so we should expect their best performance here.
If the Saints are going to win this match they are going to have to defend to the best of their abilities. They are also going to have to make the most of their chances, because we have seen in the past that English sides don’t tend to get many opportunities against their Australian counterparts, so every opportunity to score that comes along will need to be taken if they are to be crowned the best side in the world.
Sydney Roosters
The Sydney Roosters are the current holders of this title, having beaten the Wigan Warriors 20-8 to win the title last year. That probably takes away any fears that might have been surfacing that they can’t make the long journey and still be competitive. It also shows that Trent Robinson’s men take this occasion seriously, and I always feel that in itself is half of the battle. The Roosters will be looking to extend the six wins from seven run that the NRL sides are in the middle of.
Things have changed a little for the Roosters in terms of personnel since they lifted the NRL title, but you know whichever side they put out here will be well drilled, excellent coached and organised to the maximum. They are going to be tough to beat down and they will create opportunities through the power of their forwards and an excellent kicking game. The Roosters DNA is pretty well known but stopping it is not easy.
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Team News
Amazingly St Helens star Mark Percival has a chance of playing in this match even though he needs surgery on a damaged shoulder. James Roby comes back after missing the start of the season through injury but Regan Grace is out with a concussion.
Sydney Roosters have chosen not to bring captain Boyd Cordner over for this match so Jake Friend will skipper the side. Cooper Cronk has now retired leaving James Tedesco, Brett Morris, Daniel Tupou and Jared Waerea-Hargreaves as the standout players.
Betting
In many ways the Sydney Roosters are the worst team for St Helens to play in this match. Not only are they an excellent side, but they always take this match seriously so there is going to be no respite for the Saints. The Super League champions are going to need to deliver their very best here and a few other things will have to go their way if they are going to add the World Club Challenge crown to their Super League title.
I don’t see St Helens as good enough here. That is no disrespect to them but the Sydney Roosters are a mighty fine side. We also have to acknowledge the recent NRL dominance in this match. They have won six of the last seven and in the last four World Club Challenges won by the Australians, the Super League teams have a cumulative 16 points. St Helens also won’t need reminding that the last time they played in the World Club Challenge they lost 39-0 on this ground to South Sydney Rabbitohs. I don’t think this will be as nasty a score as that was but I do expect Sydney Roosters to win with a good deal in hand.
Tips
Back Sydney Roosters (-8) to beat St Helens for a 4/10 stake at 2.00 with Coral
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