Saints to play training game against Sydney Roosters ahead of World Club Challenge
Posted: Mon Feb 11, 2019 5:50 pm
SAINTS will play a training game against Sydney Roosters on Friday as the NRL champions prepare for their clash with Wigan Warriors on Sunday.
The game will be part of Saints' training routine — given they have no game at the weekend — with coach Justin Holbrook setting up the meeting with his former club.
The training session, at the Totally Wicked stadium, is not a public event, but tailored to help both teams prepare for their respective next games - and will not be a full intensity game.
Holbrook, a former assistant coach at the Roosters, said: "Instead of captain's run on Friday we will have a training hit out against the Roosters, which will be good for us because we haven't got a game.
"It will good for the Roosters too ahead of their game against Wigan.
"I'd much rather be playing them on Sunday - but we weren't good enough.
"It will be good to give our boys some different opposition so early in the year.
"If it was later in the year I would have given them time off, but with it being so early there are plenty of guys who need match fitness and we will use Friday's session as a decent hit-out and then we will look at Leeds.
It will be a 70 per cent game - not a full game as they have to play on Sunday.
"It is not a full on game - and not full on intensity just a case of letting them get a run against another team."
Holbrook revealed that he set up the training match last October after meeting up with Roosters head coach Trent Robinson.
"I met up with Trent a few times in October when he was over in London for a leaders conference that I was at.
"We teed it up back then.
"It has always been in the pipeline once we knew they were coming over and we had the week off," he said.
https://www.sthelensstar.co.uk/sport/17 ... challenge/
The game will be part of Saints' training routine — given they have no game at the weekend — with coach Justin Holbrook setting up the meeting with his former club.
The training session, at the Totally Wicked stadium, is not a public event, but tailored to help both teams prepare for their respective next games - and will not be a full intensity game.
Holbrook, a former assistant coach at the Roosters, said: "Instead of captain's run on Friday we will have a training hit out against the Roosters, which will be good for us because we haven't got a game.
"It will good for the Roosters too ahead of their game against Wigan.
"I'd much rather be playing them on Sunday - but we weren't good enough.
"It will be good to give our boys some different opposition so early in the year.
"If it was later in the year I would have given them time off, but with it being so early there are plenty of guys who need match fitness and we will use Friday's session as a decent hit-out and then we will look at Leeds.
It will be a 70 per cent game - not a full game as they have to play on Sunday.
"It is not a full on game - and not full on intensity just a case of letting them get a run against another team."
Holbrook revealed that he set up the training match last October after meeting up with Roosters head coach Trent Robinson.
"I met up with Trent a few times in October when he was over in London for a leaders conference that I was at.
"We teed it up back then.
"It has always been in the pipeline once we knew they were coming over and we had the week off," he said.
https://www.sthelensstar.co.uk/sport/17 ... challenge/