SUPER league champions St Helens have made an offer to the Sydney Roosters to play the World Club Challenge in Australia.

The Saints face the NRL champions on February 14 at Wanderers' Reebok Stadium.

The Australians had wanted to play a warm-up match against Widnes before facing the Saints, but the RFL refused to sanction the fixture.

But St Helens coach Ian Millward is offering to take his team to Sydney to play the game there.

"If they are worried about coming over here I'll offer them this: we'll play in Australia without any problem at all and we won't have a warm-up game," Millward told The Australian.

"Despite the NRL and the RFL saying it can't be done, I'm still offering to do it now. We can change our plans without any problem."

Millward added: "When they get over here, it's our off-season and it's our coldest and wettest month.

"I can understand them wanting to get used to the conditions.

"English clubs have won the last two games and the Roosters want to turn that around. It's great they are desperate to do that.

"I can understand their situation and sympathise with everything they are going through."

But Roosters coach Ricky Stuart has dismissed the offer as a non-starter.

"It's just not going to happen," he said.

"It's quite obvious that the English Rugby League are using all excuses they possibly can to not allow us to have a warm-up because they know it's going to be an advantage to us to have a trial.

"But we're happy to go there and play them without a warm-up and try and beat them on their home turf.

"You can only work with what you've got, that's our scenario and that's what we'll adhere to."