RUSSELL Crowe may be missing the Oscars in favour of a date in St Helens for the rugby league World Club Challenge - but he is still expected to make a Hollywood style entrance when he arrives on Sunday.

The Star understands the film icon is set to touch down at a location in the borough on a 16-seater helicopter.

He will arrive in the hours ahead of kick off before travelling to the stadium where he will be in a corporate box to watch the South Sydney Rabbitohs side he co-owns take on Saints.

Crowe's potential presence at the final has been the subject of debate since he hinted several weeks ago via Twitter that he hoped to attend.

Crowe, 50, has been in London for a private screening of the Water Diviner, which marks his directorial debut, and he also appeared on the Channel Four show The Last Leg on Friday night.

He also spoke at length to the BBC about his involvement with Souths and his passion for rugby league.

Crowe's impending arrival has added to the excitement surrounding the fixture, tickets for which sold out weeks ago.

Sintelliners have been joking on Twitter that the Gladiator star should be presented with a goody bag of local delicacies and mementoes to mark his visit to the town.

And a Daily Mirror story headlined 'The Oscars? Nah, I'd rather be in St Helens' went down a storm yesterday.