World Club Challenge
| World Club Challenge | |
|---|---|
 Current season or competition:2012 World Club Challenge |
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| Sport | Rugby league football |
| Instituted | 1989 |
| Inaugural season | 1976 |
| Number of teams | 2 |
| Region | International (RFL[1]) |
| World Champions | Leeds Rhinos (2012) |
| Broadcast partner | Sky Sports |
| Related competitions | Super League National Rugby League |
The World Club Challenge (also known as the Probiz World Club Challenge due to sponsorship and previously called the World Club Championship) is an annual rugby league football match held between the champions of the Australasian National Rugby League and the European Super League competitions to determine the world's best rugby league club. The first match of its kind was played in 1976 but it did not become a regular part of the World rugby league calendar until the late 1980s. The World Club Challenge's history was also punctuated by the 1990s' Super League war but has been held every year since 2000. To date only English and Australian sides have competed in the World Club Challenge. Leeds Rhinos are the current champions, defeating the Manly-Warringah Sea Eagles 26 – 12 in the 2012 World Club Challenge.
[edit] History
The competition began unofficially in 1976 as a match between the Sydney Roosters(aka Eastern Suburbs) and the English Premiership trophy winners St Helens(Salford were English Champions in 1976). In 1987 another unofficial match took place when Wigan chairman Maurice Lindsay invited Manly-Warringah to Central Park.[2] The first official World Club Challenge was contested between Widnes and Canberra in 1989. Three further matches, each involving Wigan, were staged in the early 1990s.
If only we could see a genuine contest between Wigan and Brisbane – a World Club final. Alas, it will never happen. Oh sure, a game might be arranged, but logistics dictate that one side would be out of season, rusty or tired, and away from home.
With the outbreak of the Australian Super League War in 1995, the World Club Challenge was not staged again until 1997. In that year the competition was restructured to include 22 clubs from the Australian and European Super League competitions. As it was contested over 6 rounds in 2 hemispheres, with $1,000,000 prize money, the competition was prohibitively expensive to stage, and it reportedly lost over $5,000,000. This, coupled with the poor ratings and attendances that were achieved both in Australia and Europe, led to the competition being postponed for two seasons.
Returning to a one-off match between both League champions for a 1998 World Club Challenge as a show-piece fixture at Ellis Park in Johannesburg was mooted.[4] However this didn't eventuate.
When it was resurrected in 2000, the World Club Challenge was once more played between the winners of the premierships in Australasia and Europe. It has since been contested annually in various venues in the United Kingdom in February or late January, before the commencement of the Super League and National Rugby League seasons.
Australian commentators sometimes deride the competition, citing the British refusal ever to play the game outside of the UK, the effects of jet lag on the Australian teams (who often arrive in England only a couple of days before the game) and the wintry conditions as reasons for Australian teams' poor performances. Also the fact that it is played at the start of the new season instead of at the end of the previous season also affects teams' performances as usually the rosters have considerably changed so the teams that take the field are not the ones that won the respective premierships.
For these reasons and until it is played either in a neutral venue or in Australia every other year, it has been viewed as nothing more than a pre-season warm up game by most Australasian teams and fans.[5][6]
[edit] Results
- Notes
^ a: This is the result from the grand final of a 22-team 1997 World Club Championship.
^ b: The NRL stripped Melbourne Storm as a result of their breach of the salary cap.
[7]
[edit] Statistics and records
Except where noted, these statistics do not include pool matches from the 1997 World Club Championship.
[edit] Titles won
| Wins | Country |
|---|---|
| 13 |  UK |
| 7 |  Australia |
[edit] Overall record (club)
| Team | Titles | Runners-up | Win % |
|---|---|---|---|
| Leeds Rhinos |
3 (2005, 2008, 2012) | 2 (2009, 2010), | 60% |
| Wigan Warriors |
3 (1987, 1991, 1994) | 2 (1992, 2011) | 60% |
| Bradford Bulls |
3 (2002, 2004, 2006) | – | 100% |
| Brisbane Broncos |
2 (1992, 1997) | 3 (1994, 2001, 2007) | 40% |
| St Helens |
2 (2001, 2007) | 3 (1976, 2000, 2003) | 40% |
| Sydney Roosters |
2 (1976, 2003) | – | 100% |
| Melbourne Storm |
1 (2000) | 2 (2008, 2010) | 33% |
| Manly-Warringah Sea Eagles |
1 (2009) | 2 (1987, 2012) | 33% |
| Widnes Vikings |
1 (1989) | – | 100% |
| St George Illawarra Dragons |
1 (2011) | - | 100% |
| Penrith Panthers |
– | 2 (1991, 2004) | 0% |
| Bulldogs RLFC |
– | 1 (2005) | 0% |
| Canberra Raiders |
– | 1 (1989) | 0% |
| Hunter Mariners |
– | 1 (1997) | 0% |
| Newcastle Knights |
– | 1 (2002) | 0% |
| Wests Tigers |
– | 1 (2006) | 0% |
[edit] Biggest wins
| Points | Score | Champions | Runners-up | Year |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 38 | 38–0 | Sydney Roosters | St. Helens | 2003 |
| 38 | 44–6 | Melbourne Storm | St. Helens | 2000 |
| 24 | 36–12 | Brisbane Broncos | Hunter Mariners | 1997 |
[edit] Biggest wins
| Points | Score | Champions | Runners-up | Year |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 38 | 38–0 | Sydney Roosters | St. Helens | 2003 |
| 38 | 44–6 | Melbourne Storm | St. Helens | 2000 |
| 24 | 36–12 | Brisbane Broncos | Hunter Mariners | 1997 |
[edit] Most points in a game by a winning side
| Points | Score | Champions | Runners-Up | Year |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 44 | 44–6 | Melbourne Storm | St. Helens | 2000 |
| 41 | 41–26 | Bradford Bulls | Newcastle Knights | 2002 |
| 39 | 39–32 | Leeds Rhinos | Canterbury Bulldogs | 2005 |
[edit] Most points in a game by a losing side
| Points | Score | Champions | Runners-Up | Year |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 32 | 39–32 | Leeds Rhinos | Canterbury Bulldogs | 2005 |
| 26 | 41–26 | Bradford Bulls | Newcastle Knights | 2002 |
| 20 | 28–20 | Manly-Warringah Sea Eagles | Leeds Rhinos | 2009 |
| 18 | 20–18 | St. Helens | Brisbane Broncos | 2001 |
| 18 | 30–18 | Widnes Vikings | Canberra Raiders | 1989 |
[edit] Highest scoring matches
| Points | Score | Champions | Runners-Up | Year |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 71 | 39–32 | Leeds Rhinos | Canterbury Bulldogs | 2005 |
| 67 | 41–26 | Bradford Bulls | Newcastle Knights | 2002 |
| 50 | 44–6 | Melbourne Storm | St. Helens | 2000 |
[edit] Lowest scoring matches
| Points | Score | Champions | Runners-Up | Year |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 10 | 8–2 | Wigan Warriors | Manly Sea Eagles | 1987 |
| 15 | 11–4 | Leeds Rhinos | Melbourne Storm | 2008 |
| 25 | 21–4 | Wigan Warriors | Penrith Panthers | 1991 |
[edit] Most points scored (individual)
| Points | Name (club/s) |
|---|---|
| 24 | Botica (Wigan / Widnes) |
| 24 | Sinfield (Leeds) |
| 22 | Fitzgibbon (Roosters) |
| 18 | Deacon (Bradford) |
| 16 | El Masri (Canterbury) |
| 14 | Johns (Newcastle) |
[edit] Try scorers
| Tries | Name (club/s) |
|---|---|
| 3 | Bai (Melbourne / Bradford), Hancock (Brisbane), Smith (Brisbane) Hall (Leeds) |
| 2 | El Masri (Bulldogs), Fielden (Bradford), Gene (Bradford), Johns (Newcastle), Offiah (Widnes), R Paul (Bradford), Ross (Melbourne), Sailor (Brisbane), Sculthorpe (St Helens), Vainikolo (Bradford), Withers (Bradford), Zisti (Hunter), Gardner (St Helens), B Stewart (Manly-Warringah), Watmough (Manly), McGuire (Leeds), Jones-Buchanan (Leeds), Carmont (Wigan), B Morris (St George Illawarra) |
| 1 | Ayliffe (St Helens), Betts (Wigan), Buderus (Newcastle), Byrne (Roosters), Calderwood (Leeds), Carlaw (Hunter), Davies (Widnes), Edwards (Wigan), Evans (Melbourne), Fairfax (Roosters), Fittler (Roosters), Fitzgibbon (Roosters), Fitzhenry (Wests Tigers), Gartner (Bradford), Hill (Melbourne), Hodgson (Wests Tigers), Hoppe (St Helens), Joynt (St Helens), Kerrod Walters (Brisbane), Kevin Walters (Brisbane), Lolesi (Bulldogs), Long (St Helens), Mather (Wigan), Mathers (Leeds), Meninga (Canberra), Morgan (Melbourne), Morley (Roosters), Moule (Melbourne), Myers (Widnes), O'Neill (Brisbane), O'Sullivan (Canberra), P. Hulme (Widnes), Panapa (Widnes), Parker (Bradford), Patten (Bulldogs), Payten (Roosters), Plath (Brisbane), Poching (Leeds), Priddis (Penrith), Pryce (Bradford), R Eyers (Widnes), Renouf (Brisbane), Robinson (Wigan), S. Walters (Canberra), Smith (Newcastle), Stevens (Roosters), Swann (Bradford), Townsend (Roosters), C. Walker (Brisbane), Walker (Leeds), Willis (Penrith), Wright (Widnes), Parker (Brisbane), Boyd (Brisbane), Shaun Berrigan (Brisbane), Lee (Brisbane), Meyers (Brisbane), Hoffman (Melbourne), Donald (Leeds), Matai (Manly), Senior (Leeds), Anthony Quinn (Melbourne)Luke MacDougall (Melbourne), Cooper (St George Illawarra), King (St George Illawarra) |
[edit] Goals (conversions and penalties)
| Goals | Name (club/s) |
|---|---|
| 12 | Frano Botica (Widnes / Wigan)Darren Lockyer (broncos) |
| 11 | Paul Deacon (Bradford / Wigan)Kevin Sinfield (Leeds) |
| 9 | Craig Fitzgibbon (Roosters) |
| 5 | Harris (Bradford), Watts (Melbourne)' Smith (Melbourne) |
| 4 | Hazem El Masri (Canterbury), Long (St Helens), Stephenson (Wigan), Orford (Manly) |
| 3 | Johns (Newcastle), Sculthorpe (St Helens), Withers (Bradford), Davies (Wigan), Corey Parker (Brisbane), Michael De Vere (Brisbane), Terry Matterson (Brisbane) |
| 2 | Wood (Canberra), Soward (St George Illawarra) |
| 1 | Brett Hodgson (Wests Tigers), Julian O'Neill (Brisbane), O'Sullivan (Canberra), Brass (Roosters), Tasesa Lavea (Melbourne), O'Connor (Manly), Geoff Pimblett (Wigan) |
[edit] Drop goals
| Goals | Name (club/s) |
|---|---|
| 2 | Sinfield (Leeds) |
| 1 | Lydon (Wigan), Long (St Helens), Sculthorpe (St Helens), Deacon (Bradford), Tomkins (Wigan), Soward (St George Illawarra) |
[edit] Grounds
| Venue | City | Number of Games | Highest Crowd | Lowest Crowd |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Anfield | Liverpool | 1 | 20,152 | 20,152 |
| ANZ Stadium | Brisbane | 1 | 54,220 | 54,220 |
| Central Park | Wigan | 2 | 36,895 | 17,460 |
| Elland Road | Leeds | 4 | 37,208 | 27,697 |
| Alfred McAlpine Stadium / Galpharm Stadium | Huddersfield | 3 | 21,113 | 18,962 |
| Headingley Carneige Stadium | Leeds | 1 | ||
| JJB Stadium / DW Stadium | Wigan | 2 | 24,268 | 13,394 |
| Ericsson Stadium | Auckland | 1 | 12,000 | 12,000 |
| Old Trafford | Manchester | 1 | 30,786 | 30,786 |
| Reebok Stadium | Bolton | 3 | 23,207 | 16,041 |
| Sydney Cricket Ground | Sydney | 1 | 26,865 | 26,865 |
[edit] Sources
- Gallaway, Jack (2001). The Brisbane Broncos: The Team To Beat. University of Queensland Press. ISBN 0-7022-3342-0.
- Rugby Super League website
- telegraph.co.uk website
[edit] External links
- RLIF.ORG – Rugby League International Federation
- World Club Challenge Preview
- World Club Challenge Review
- World Club Challenge at 188-rugby-league.co.uk
[edit] See also
[edit] References
- ^ Sky Sports (2009-03-02). "RFL cool on bigger Challenge". BSkyB. http://www.skysports.com/story/0,19528,12211_4995130,00.html. Retrieved 2009-05-16.
- ^ Wilson, Andy (3 October 2010). "Wigan prepare to slay Dragons after crushing St Helens in Grand Final". guardian.co.uk. http://www.guardian.co.uk/sport/2010/oct/03/wigan-st-helens-super-league-grand-final. Retrieved 24 July 2011.
- ^ Townsend, David (27 September 1992). "Just a Touch of the Old Dart". The Sydney Morning Herald (Australia: Fairfax Media): p. 47. http://newsstore.fairfax.com.au/apps/viewDocument.ac?docID=news920927_0114_7163. Retrieved 13 February 2011.
- ^ Hadfield, Dave (1998-09-23). "League proposes show in S Africa". The Independent (UK: independent.co.uk). http://www.independent.co.uk/sport/rugby-league-league-proposes-show-in-s-africa-1200080.html. Retrieved 2010-04-24.
- ^ Phil Gould (2006-02-05). "Humbling highlights Tigers' reliance on Benji". SMH. http://www.smh.com.au/news/league/humbling-highlights-tigers-relience-on-benji/2006/02/04/1138958942946.html. Retrieved 2009-05-16.
- ^ Langdon, Mark (2005-02-04). "Deadly Danny can get St Helens off to a flyer". The Racing Post (London, England: MGN LTD). http://www.highbeam.com/doc/1G1-128086234.html. Retrieved 2009-10-05.
- ^ NRL.com (2011-05-11). "Final Report: Storm Salary Cap investigation". NRL. http://www.nrl.com/final-report-storm-salary-cap-investigation/tabid/10874/newsid/62723/default.aspx. Retrieved 2011-10-21.
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