St Helens climbed into the top four of the NRL’s Pre-Season Challenge with a 30-18 win over St George Illawarra Dragons in Wollongong.
The Betfred Super League champions took 14 points – 12 for the win, and two bonus points after scoring five tries from Lewis Dodd, Jack Welsby, Tommy Makinson, Joey Lussick and Tee Ritson, their new signing from Barrow Raiders.
That leaves them one point behind Manly Sea Eagles, the pacesetters in the NRL’s new pre-season competition which carries a $100,000 reward for the winners.
St Helens now move on to the main reason for their trip to Sydney, next Saturday’s World Club Challenge against the NRL champions Penrith Panthers – who won their opening game 22-16 against their local rivals Parramatta.
It was an historic fixture for St Helens, the first time they have faced the Dragons, who were formed from a merger between St George and the Illawarra Steelers in 1999 – and producing the unusual spectacle of Saints playing against a team wearing white jerseys with a big red V.
Saints, wearing a change kit of blue, made an impressive start with tries from Dodd and Welsby, and after the Dragons had hit back to lead 12-10, they regained the advantage at half-time through the excellent Makinson.
It was nip and tuck for long stages of the second half before Lussick and Ritson scored the tries which sealed a satisfying result for St Helens, who have not played in the southern hemisphere since 1997, and are aiming to become the first British club to win the World Club Challenge in Australia since Wigan beat Brisbane Broncos in 1994.
