Victorious boss Paul Wellens reckons St Helens’ epic World Club Challenge win is “monumental” for his club and the whole of British rugby league.
Super Saints’ produced a dramatic 13-12 golden-point victory over Penrith Panthers in Sydney courtesy of Lewis Dodd’s extra-time drop goal. It’s their maiden win on Australian soil and the first time a British side has succeeded down there since Wigan beat Brisbane Broncos in 1994. NRL clubs had won seven of the last eight deciders and Saints had been widely written off.
But they delivered a brilliant display and Wellens hopes it can lift Super League as a whole. He said: “I remember as a kid watching that Wigan team come over to win in Brisbane in '94. Given a victory like that's never happened since I think it's seismic for British rugby league. We came over here with determination around getting a result and the belief that we could win.
"At the same time we knew we had to play well and go through periods of the game where it was going to be extremely tough. I have just said to the players that it is a monumental victory for the club. I think it's monumental for the British game and it is one we should celebrate.
“What we wanted to do is change opinions and I feel we have done that tonight. I hope this performance can be a catalyst for change and a catalyst for improvement on our side of the world."
It was Wellens’ first game in charge of his hometown club and his predecessor Kristian Woolf - now working for NRL newcomers the Dolphins - sat in the coaches’ box alongside him. Wellens, a Saints player in their other two World Club Challenge wins in 2001 and 2007, added: “I'm just proud to be part of such a great club and great team.
“Over the past few years the team’s started to understand more and more what it’s like to win big games. When you do that consistently, you turn up to these occasions knowing that if you get things right, you're going to be very, very tough to beat. And we were.”
