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Mal Meninga has presented the Saints squad with their Challenge Cup shirts.

The Aussie legend welcomed the team at their pre match base and gave a few words of wisdom.

The 'ceremony' was part of the Saints pre-match routine which is following a similar plan to the preparations last year.

The squad travelled down to London this morning and are staying at a hotel outside the capital for two days before appearing at Wembley.

They will be taking part in the traditional walkabout tomorrow afternoon and will be training on the Wembley surface to get a feel for the 90,000-seater venue.

When Saints take to the field on Saturday, they will be appearing in their 20th Challenge Cup final.

The boys from Knowsley Road have won the famous trophy 10 times in 1956, 1961, 1966, 1972, 1976, 1996, 1997, 2001, 2004 and last year.

Although the present squad has a wealth of experience behind it, Keiron Cunningham is the only player in either team to have won at the ‘Old’ Wembley.

Saturday’s captain is also the only player to have played at Cardiff, Twickenham, Murrayfield, Old Wembley and new Wembley in Cup Finals.

Lee Gilmour is the only other player with Wembley experience (bar Messieurs Roby and Graham, who played for the under 11s in the late nineties) – having been part of the Wigan team that lost to Sheffield in 1998.

Being relatively new to the Challenge Cup scene, Saints have only faced Catalan once in cup ties.

Last year, they beat the French outfit 56-10 in the quarter final, but that is unlikely to have any bearing on Saturday’s fixture.