We crowned the best international team in the world at the end of 2022 and on Saturday the best club team in rugby league will be determined when the Penrith Panthers meet St Helens in the World Club Challenge.
The NRL champions get home advantage on what will be a sizzling Saturday showdown which has had the kick off delayed because of extreme heat forecast for the area so it isn’t just going to be the rugby which will be hot. There will be drinks breaks halfway through each half to compensate for that and the two teams involved will be allowed 10 interchanges rather than eight.
Where to watch
The match will be shown live and in full on the Sky Sports Main Event and Sky Sports Arena channels as well as Channel 4. The build-up on the Sky channels begins at 7.20am and on Channel 4 at 7.30am. Kick off is 7.50am.
Penrith Panthers
The Penrith Panthers have suddenly emerged as the dominant force in Australia. They have finished top of the league in two of the last three years, made the last three Grand Finals and won the last two NRL titles. Covid has denied them the chance to show that they are the best club side in the in the world but they have that opportunity now and what is more, they have that chance on home soil which could be extremely significant.
There are many reasons why the Panthers have been so successful in recent times. Chief among them is their half-back pairing of Nathan Cleary and Jerome Luai, both of whom represented New South Wales in Origin last season and opposed each other in the World Cup final three months ago. They have a strong pack and although they have lost one or two players since last season, you would expect them to lay a real challenge down although they are still a couple of weeks from the start of their NRL title defence.
St Helens
While the Penrith Panthers have won the last two NRL titles, St Helens have doubled that tally in terms of consecutive Super League crowns. They have won the last four and now get the chance to show that they are the best club team in the game. They have no shortage of disadvantages going into the match but in a way that gives them a little less to lose. The big advantage they do have is they were due to begin their Super League season this weekend so they are a couple of weeks further ahead in their preparations.
The strength of St Helens in their four titles wins has been their immaculate defence but it remains to be seen whether in these conditions and in this environment whether that defence can stand up to the scrutiny it is going to be under. You would imagine Saints are going to need to sparkle in attack at some point in this match if they are going to win it and that might be an issue with the likes of Regan Grace no longer at the club.
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Team News
Stephen Crichton is going to be the man to move into the full-back role for the Penrith Panthers with Izack Tago and Sunia Turuva getting the nod in the centres. They are all about that half-back pair of Nathan Cleary and Jarome Luai who will both play here.
St Helens were dealt a bit of a blow when Joe Batchelor picked up an injury in the warm up match last week which is going to keep him out of this game and the beginning of their Super League season. Alex Walmsley is available after missing the World Cup though.
Betting
I think Penrith Panthers will win this match but this is just their second match since the won their NRL crown and we shouldn’t forget that because of the World Cup that final was played in September rather than the usual October slot so they have played one friendly in the better part of five months and a number of their stars missed that. St Helens have played plenty more friendlies and also had a good winning hit out against St George Illawarra Dragons last week.
This will be a much tougher test for Saints but the handicap lines given Penrith 20 points are insulting to the best team the Super League has seen in a number of years. This isn’t a St Helens side who fluked a Grand Final win and have lost a load of players. This is a team in the middle of a Super League dynasty, who won everything there was to win in that time and whose defence is as reliable as any that the Super League have put up in this match. Whether that defence is enough for Saints to win or not I do think they have enough in them to stay within 20 of a Penrith side, who while clearly a class act will be rusty here.
Tips
Back St Helens (+20.5) to beat Penrith Panthers for a 3/10 stake at 1.91 with Bet365
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