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Eamonn McManus calls Sydney Roosters ‘the benchmark’
James Roby expected to play for first time since Grand Final

The St Helens chairman, Eamonn McManus, believes that victory for the reigning Super League champions against the NRL’s Sydney Roosters in Saturday’s World Club Challenge would represent the greatest achievement by a British side in the competition’s history. The Roosters arrive in England heavy favourites for the annual clash of rugby league’s two major champions and are looking to become the first team to win the event on successive occasions.
That, and a number of injuries to key St Helens players in the run-up to the game, has left McManus in no doubt about the scale of what St Helens could achieve this weekend in front of a sellout crowd. “I think it would be at the top for British teams,” he said. “By definition this is the most successful team in the NRL, given the fact they’ve gone back-to-back there and are favourites to go on and get the treble. They’re probably the best team we’ve seen in the NRL for a while. Continue reading...