SAINTS will be out to break their duck against Australian NRL champions Sydney Roosters after the World Club Challenge match was confirmed for Saturday, February 22.
The teams have met three times since 1976 with Saints being on the wrong end of some heavy scorelines in those encounters – with the last of those being in 2016.
The teams met in the first unofficial World Club Championship match on Tuesday, 29 June 1976 when the Roosters, playing then as Eastern Suburbs, won 25-2 at the Sydney Cricket Ground before a crowd of 26,856.
Saints had won the Challenge Cup and Premiership in 1975-76, while Easts – led by Artie Beetson - were the 1975 Premiership Grand Final winners.
The Saints team that day was Pimblett; Jones, Noonan, Cunningham, Mathias; Benyon, Gwilliam; Mantle, Karalius, Coslett, Chisnall, Nicholls, Hull. Subs: Glynn, Wilson, Liptrot, James.
Saints’ only points came from a Geoff Pimblett goal.
Fast forward to 2003 and a freezing cold night at the Reebok Stadium saw one-way traffic from Roosters with tries from Craig Fitzgibbon, Adrian Morley, Todd Byrne, Brad Fittler and Todd Payten.
The crowd that night was 19,807 – and they had something to cheer early on with an Ade Gardner break down the wing – but the game went away from them against a clinical Roosters side.
Roosters featured two players – centre Chris Flannery and prop Jason Cayless – who went on to play at Saints later in that decade.
The Saints team that day Albert; Stewart, Gleeson, Newlove, Gardner; Martyn, Long; Britt, Hooper, Stankevitch, Joynt (c), Smith, Sculthorpe. Subs: Ward, Jonkers, Higham, Edmondson.
The last time the side met was in the World Series in a game in which a youthful Roosters side slaughtered 38-12 Saints at Langtree Park.
Saints were out of it by half time, trailing 22-0 and although centre Dom Peyroux crossed for two tries, converted by Luke Walsh, they were never in the game.
Roosters’ tries came from Kane Evans, Aidan Guerra, 2, Blake Ferguson, Dale Copley, Shaun Kenny-Dowall and Daniel Tupou.
A relatively unknown young halfback by the name of Jackson Hastings kicked five goals for the visitors.
Saints’ line up that day was: Owens; Makinson, Peyroux, Turner, Swift; Wilkin, Walsh; Walmsley, Burns, Savelio, Greenwood, Vea, McCarthy-Scarsbrook. Subs: Amor, Tasi, Thompson, Knowles.
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