Paul Wellens: St Helens’ WCC win a ‘seismic moment’ for Super League | James Roby: ‘Pinnacle’ of my career | Rugby League News

St Helens head coach believes his side have earned respect from the NRL with a “seismic” victory over the Penrith Panthers; Lewis Dodd sealed win with golden point drop goal; St Helens become first British side to win title in Australia since 1994

St Helens head coach Paul Wellens believes his side’s dramatic 13-12 World Club Challenge victory over Penrith Panthers could be a “seismic” moment for English Rugby League.

The Saints sealed a famous win in the most dramatic of circumstances as the game went into golden point extra-time after the Panthers fought back to bring the game to 12-12 through a late Brian To’o try and Nathan Cleary conversion.

However, St Helens half-back Lewis Dodd showed nerves of steel to score a drop goal and cement the Saints into the history books.

It is the first win for a British side in Australia since Wigan Warriors’ win over Brisbane Broncos in 1994, and Wellens, who was in charge for the first time since being appointed as head coach of his hometown club, believes that his team secured a “monumental victory” for the Super League competition.

“I remember as a kid watching the Wigan team come over here and beat that great Brisbane side in ’94 and, given the fact that a victory like that has never happened since, I think it is obviously a seismic result in British rugby league,” said Wellens.

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St Helens beat Penrith Panthers to win the World Club Challenge in dramatic fashion with an extra-time golden point winning drop goal!

“We came over here with a determination around getting a result and had the belief that we could win. But at the same time, we knew we had to play through periods in the game where it was going to be extremely tough.

“It is a monumental victory for us as a club. It is a monumental victory for the British game and I am just honoured and proud to be part of such a great club and part of such a great team.

“I think over the past few years the team and the group have started to understand more and more what it is like to win big games.

“When you do that consistently, you turn up to these occasions knowing that if you get things right, you are going to be very, very tough to beat and I think we were that tonight.

“It was not perfect, we were scrambling like hell at times to keep them out, but what I know about this group is they will keep turning up for each other.

“What we wanted to do is change opinions and I feel we have done that tonight.

“I hope that this performance can be a catalyst for change and a catalyst for improvement on our side of the world.”

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Jack Welsby opened the scoring for St Helens with a spectacular try against Penrith Panthers in the World Club Challenge.

Wellens also was full of praise for Dodd who battled back from a season-ending Achilles injury to put in a match-winning performance on the biggest stage.

“The kid has been phenomenal,” Wellens added.

“He ruptured an Achilles on Good Friday last year and the way he has gone about getting himself back fit and the time and effort.

“It is a horrible injury to overcome but he has done it with a determination and slotted straight back in.

“It is just clear to see what a special player he is.”

Roby: WCC win ‘pinnacle’ of career

Saints captain James Roby believes his side’s World Club Challenge victory is the highlight of his trophy-laden career

St Helens captain James Roby has enjoyed a trophy-laden career, winning the Super League on six occasions, four as captain, but believes that Saints’ World Club Challenge triumph goes right to the top of his list.

“It has got to be up there right at the top,” Roby said.

“The last few years have been fantastic for us as a club and luckily for me as the captain to lift so much silverware.

“Then coming over here and playing against this Penrith side where everybody wrote us off, nobody fancied us to win the game but we always had that inner belief.

“It is probably up there as the pinnacle of my career.

“We wanted to earn a bit of respect and earn respect by our performances on the field.

“It was one hell of a game. We stuck in there and I am just so proud of these players and this group of staff, Paul (Wellens) included to get over the line tonight.”

Sky Sports is the home of all three Super League Grand Finals in 2023. The Men’s Grand Final, the Women’s Grand Final and the Wheelchair Grand Final will all be live on Sky Sports next season.