St Helens attempt to rule the roost

In a week where the sporting balance of power between Britain and Australia has swung even further towards the southern hemisphere, St Helens are determined to hang onto one prize the British have made their own.

Since the World Club Challenge returned two years ago as the annual event that it should always have been, Saints and Bradford have both beaten top Australian clubs, but the signs are that the Sydney Roosters will be better prepared than either Brisbane or Newcastle.

The Roosters' enthusiasm for the fixture showed in the way they started looking forward to it immediately after their Grand Final victory over the New Zealand Warriors, in their frustrated desire for a warm-up game and in the eight days they have given themselves to acclimatise.

True, they have also had a moderately hectic social diary, but they should be as ready as any Australian champions have been. They have, however, lost a number of players from their Grand Final-winning side. Their excellent full-back, Luke Phillips, is injured, while the demands of the salary cap have seen players like Simon Bonetti and Bryan Fletcher leave.

The form of their resident Englishman, Adrian Morley, in the play-offs showed that he can fill Fletcher's boots, while the Roosters' coach Ricky Stuart has switched Craig Wing to hooker and drafted in new scrum-half Brett Finch for his debut in the side he has named for tonight.

Saints' Ian Millward does not expect them to line-up that way, not least because of the mess his team made of Brisbane's new boy Scott Prince at the same Reebok Stadium two years ago. If Finch does start, the pressure will be on him in the same way, in front of an expectant large crowd.

Stuart expects Millward to pull a flanker by switching Paul Sculthorpe to stand-off, although the essential question is whether the reigning "Man of Steel" is really fit to play. Millward insists he is, although he concedes that there is a slight doubt over Paul Wellens.

The game will be special for one of Saints' new Australians, Darren Smith. He was a member of the Canterbury side who were leading last year's Australian competition until they were docked most of their points for breaching a salary cap. Canterbury would have been the biggest barrier between the Roosters and their Premiership. Now, in his first big game for Saints, he can help to deny them another trophy.

Saints' great domestic rivals, Bradford, are to investigate the possibilities of playing a match in Dubai.