Yates’ verdict: Aussies have been given a kick up the jacksie by St Helens win Down Under

Cocksure Aussies have been given a kick up the jacksie, at least those who love their Rugby League, by the manner in which St Helens dethroned World Club Challenge defending champions Penrith Panthers 13-12 at a shell-shocked BlueBet Stadium in Sydney on Saturday.

Excuses, excuses and more excuses have littered the sporting pages of the newspapers Down Under as they try to analyse why a team from the opposite end of the earth, who were being written-off long before the competition got off the ground, had the temerity to put the seemingly all-conquering Panthers to the sword.

The answer is quite simple: St Helens were the far better outfit on the night and their victory was more empathic than the final score line suggested. Yes, it went into golden point extra-time but it would have been a travesty of justice had coach Paul Wellens’ side returned home without the glittering trophy.

However, not everyone Down Under complained about Penrith’s performance and used it as an excuse for their defeat.

Former international Matt Adamson summed it up perfectly when he declared: "To be honest, I think there was more  positive feedback  around the fact that St Helens won and not so much about the Panthers losing.

"That’s how it should be - the better team won on the night by outplaying their opponents, particularly in the physical part of the game." Summed up perfectly!

🏉 Like the rest of Super League, newly-crowned World Club Challenge winners St Helens will be pressing wholeheartedly for the competition to be reinstated as an annual event - and they’ve got a strong case to put forward.

There was a danger it would be wiped off the calendar when Covid struck a few years ago but pressure was put on the powers-that-be, particularly in Australia, to keep it afloat and now all the hard work appears to have paid dividends.

Many believe Saints’ stunning 13-12 golden point victory over NRL giants Penrith was the best world club showdown since its original inception in 1976, when Eastern Suburbs defeated St Helens 25-2 at the Sydney Cricket Ground, and it is imperative that anyone involved in Rugby League ensures it is not erased from the sporting map.

There’s no denying that interest in the sport is growing all the time and St Helens’ win will act as a massive boost in attempts to spread the game to all parts of the globe.

TV is also playing its part and after more than 40 years covering the 13-a-side code, I cannot remember it getting as much exposure at all levels than today.

An added bonus is the decision of media giants IMG to act as a strategic partner of the RFL and Super League and early next month revolutionary  plans for the future of the 13-a-side sport will be unveiled. Everyone is waiting with bated-breath to see what is involved.