St Helens star sends blunt message to Penrith and Dragons ahead of Club World Challenge

Write us off at your peril! That’s the warning from Joe Batchelor as St Helens prepare for their two-match showdown with Australian NRL outfits, St George Illawarra Dragons and the Penrith Panthers, in the next couple of weeks.

Insisting that talk Down Under suggesting the Betfred Super League champions were facing a hiding to nothing, the Red Vee TV website’s player of the year claimed the comments were disrespectful and way off the mark.

The 29-year-old Wakefield-born second rower, who was arguably the most improved player in Super League last season, said: “We’ve been written off by many people and probably been disrespected in a way we shouldn’t be,” said the backrower, who made his England debut in their crushing World Cup win over Greece in October.

“Once you’re at the top, everybody wants to knock you down. If the rest of the English teams could put rivalries aside for one game, it would mean a lot and I think we’d gain a lot of respect off the back of it.

“It doesn’t bother us really. We’ve won Super League for four years in a row so we deserve a crack against holders Penrith in the World Club Challenge. It’s the pinnacle of the club game and an achievement that can’t get any higher.”

Sixteen years have passed since current head coach Paul Wellens inspired Saints to their second and most recent win in the competition over Brisbane Broncos at Bolton’s Reebok Stadium.

Super League teams have won just three of the 13 most recent showdowns and not since Wigan beat the Broncos in Brisbane in 1994 has one managed to win the title away from home.

Saints begin their preparations for their World Club Challenge clash with a warm-up match against St George-Illawarra Dragons in Wollongong on Saturday, in which Wellens indicated he would utilise every one of his 26 travelling squad members.

Then comes the big one  - the World Club Challenge against the Panthers at the BlueBet Stadium the following weekend.