St Helens' Paul Wellens reveals who he wants to win the World Club Challenge

[josie andrews]

The Saints boss will be a keen spectator when Wigan Warriors host Penrith Panthers on Saturday.

St Helens coach Pauls Wellens admits he wants to see arch-rivals Wigan Warriors win their World Club Challenge clash against three-time NRL champions Penrith Panthers. After losing in the play-off semi-finals last season, Saints relinquished the chance to retain their World Club Challenge title, with Super League champions Wigan facing the Panthers on Saturday instead.

Yet, despite the fierce rivalry, Wellens was clear in his support for the Cherry and Whites. The 43-year-old said: “It’s probably the one question I get asked the most recently – will you be supporting Wigan in the World Club Challenge?

Look, it’s a very easy one for me in terms of if you were asking Paul Wellens, as the five-year-old lad who stood on those Knowsley Road terraces all those years ago, the answer would probably be no.

“But I’m a bit older in the tooth now and a bit greyer in the hair and I understand that having been involved in the World Club Challenge victory last year and what the impact a Super League victory can have on our competition and our sport over here and on rugby league.”

In last year’s tie, Saints upset the Panthers to secure a golden point 13-12 victory on Australian soil. Early tries from Jack Welsby and Konrad Hurrell saw Saints go into the break with a 10-0 lead, but the NRL side came back in the second half to draw level at 12-12 by the end of regular time.

In golden point, scrum half Lewis Dodd kicked an 83rd minute drop goal to secure Saints’ third World Club Challenge in dramatic fashion. And Wellens spoke about the process and what Wigan could learn from last year’s fixture.

The former Man of Steel said: “When we were preparing to play them, you try to find weakness, but it is a search with a fine-tooth comb because you don’t achieve the level of success they have achieved if you have too many weaknesses.

“What Wigan have shown in the last couple of years and do really well is they compete really hard in big games and I think that is the key ingredient going into any game like this. They’ve got to match Penrith in that area. I think that’s something we had success with last year is being able to hang tough in those moments when Penrith were in the ascendancy and forge a few openings when you have got the ball in hand and you are having some of the better moments yourself.

And ultimately big games quite often as it did last year come down to the finest of margins and being able to win those small moments is crucial as well so I think that what makes for Saturday night being a really intriguing tie.”

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