Confirmed its Saints for the third spot and no Hudds

Friday - Saints vs Roosters
Saturday - Leeds/Wigan vs Brisbane
Sunday - Leeds/Wigan vs North Queensland

Best 3 teams in SL against best 3 in NRL this year,should be good games.

Id rather play the Cowboys!

What's the rationale for Saints over Huddersfield?

The RFL press release said its because they got through to the semi finals of both competitions this year and also because they've got pedigree in the World Club Series over the years

I wouldn't be surprised if Hudds turned it down again.

To be fair to the RFL, if Huddersfield turned down the game last year then you can understand them not being given the game this year, why should they reward mediocrity and offer them the game as the also rans this season, as well as the last, only to be snubbed?. They finished a point above Saints who put up a far better showing in the semi last week, as well as making the CC semi final and will almost certainly fill Langtree park for the WCC game.Its hardly that controversial. Huddersfield need to start growing a pair as a team and start making finals and winning them instead of rolling over and choking when it really matters, then the RFL and everybody else might start taking them seriously and not look on them with the kind of contempt they are now.

Catch 22, would a big international game on sHudds doorstep, properly marketed, entice out the public? They get a taste of what a big game atmosphere is like, obviously get a cheeky boost in profile etc?

Or is it down to not having ambition?

Surely the rfl want to have a big crowd for a big game. Not just 4K like they'll get at hudds

Harsh, but true!

IIRC two semi-finals, and 40th anniversary of the first "World Club Challenge" between Saints and the then Eastern Suburbs Roosters.

What do you mean you to$$er by mediocrity. We finished above Saints over the season, and to be fair Leeds were extremely lucky to pip us at Huddersfield. Also Saints were playing Leeds last week which was a much easier game than Wigan (I admit we never got of the bus on the day) but I would still have preferred us to play Leeds as you are nowt special. We won our LLS with a couple of games to go.