St Helens 13–12 Penrith Panthers — 2023 World Club Challenge
BlueBet Stadium, Penrith · Attendance: 13,873 (one source gives 13,783 — the more widely repeated figure is used here)
Data last verified: 11 August 2026.
2023 World Club Challenge: St Helens 13–12 Penrith Panthers, at BlueBet Stadium, Penrith.
Decided by a Lewis Dodd drop goal in golden-point extra time.
Sourcing caveat: Attendance has two slightly different published figures (13,873 vs 13,783), reported here as the more widely repeated of the two.
Scoring timeline
| 10′ | St Helens — try, Welsby |
| 16′ | St Helens — try, Hurrell |
| 52′ | Penrith Panthers — try, Tago |
| 78′ | Penrith Panthers — try, To'o |
Tries with a sourced minute, in order scored. Tries whose exact minute isn't recorded in available sources appear in the Scorers table below but not here.
Scorers
| St Helens | Tries: Welsby 10'; Hurrell 16' Goals: Makinson (1/2 conversions) Drop goals: Dodd (golden-point extra time) |
| Penrith Panthers | Tries: Tago 52'; To'o 78' Goals: Cleary (2/2 conversions) |
Teams
| St Helens | Penrith Panthers | |||
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Jack Welsby | Fullback | Stephen Crichton | 1 |
| 2 | Tommy Makinson | Wing | Taylan May | 2 |
| 3 | Konrad Hurrell | Centre | Izack Tago | 3 |
| 4 | Mark Percival | Centre | Sunia Turuva | 4 |
| 5 | William Hopoate | Wing | Brian To'o | 5 |
| 6 | Jonny Lomax | Five-eighth | Jarome Luai | 6 |
| 7 | Lewis Dodd | Halfback | Nathan Cleary | 7 |
| 8 | Alex Walmsley | Front row | Moses Leota | 8 |
| 9 | James Roby | Hooker (c) | Mitch Kenny | 9 |
| 10 | Matty Lees | Front row | James Fisher-Harris | 10 |
| 11 | Sione Mata'utia | Second row | Luke Garner | 11 |
| 16 | Curtis Sironen | Second row | Zac Hosking | 12 |
| 13 | Morgan Knowles | Lock | Isaah Yeo | 13 |
| Substitutes | ||||
| 14 | Joey Lussick | Jack Cogger | 14 | |
| 15 | Louie McCarthy-Scarsbrook | Matt Eisenhuth | 15 | |
| 17 | Agnatius Paasi | Spencer Leniu | 16 | |
| 18 | Jake Wingfield | Jaeman Salmon | 17 | |
| Paul Wellens | Coach | Ivan Cleary | ||
Match officials
| Referee | Ashley Klein |
| Player of the match | Jack Welsby (St Helens) |
Match report
St Helens produced a landmark performance, becoming the first British side to win the World Club Challenge on Australian soil since 1994. Playing in extreme heat with a lightning-delayed break, Saints raced to a 10-0 half-time lead through early tries from Jack Welsby and Konrad Hurrell, dominating territory and completion rate against the reigning NRL premiers. Penrith rallied hard after the break, with Izack Tago crossing in the 52nd minute and Nathan Cleary's boot keeping the Panthers in touch, before Brian To'o's converted try levelled the scores at 12-12 deep in the closing stages, forcing golden-point extra time. In extra time, a handling error from Jarome Luai gifted Saints attacking ball near halfway, and half-back Lewis Dodd — with what he called "nerves of steel" — slotted a drop goal on the third tackle to win it 13-12. Welsby, named player of the match, later said the finish felt "unbelievable." The win capped a huge year for St Helens after their Super League and Challenge Cup exploits, and denied Penrith what would have been a rare Panthers WCC triumph — one of the most dramatic finishes in the fixture's history.