World Club Challenge

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The 2007 WCC logo.
The 2007 WCC logo.

The World Club Challenge (WCC) (also referred to as the Carnegie World Club Challenge (CWCC) for sponsorship purposes) is an annual rugby league 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.

Contents

[edit] History

The competition began unofficially in 1976 as a match between the Australian and English champions, followed by another unofficial match in 1987. The first official World Club Challenge was contested between Widnes and Canberra in 1989. Three further matches, each involving Wigan, were staged in through the early 1990s. 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 included 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 a number of years. For results of this tournament, see 1997 World Club Challenge.
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 been since contested annually in various venues in the United Kingdom in February or late January, before the commencement of Super League and National Rugby League seasons. Australian commentators sometimes deride the competition, citing the British home ground advantage and wintry conditions as reasons for Australian teams' poor performances.[1].

[edit] Results

Year Date Winner Score Runner-up Venue Crowd
1976 29 June Flag of Australia Eastern Suburbs 25-2 Flag of England St Helens Sydney Cricket Ground, Sydney 26,865
1987 7 October Flag of England Wigan 8-2 Flag of Australia Manly-Warringah Central Park, Wigan 36,895
1989 4 October Flag of England Widnes 30-18 Flag of Australia Canberra Old Trafford, Manchester 30,786
1991 2 October Flag of England Wigan 21-4 Flag of Australia Penrith Panthers Anfield, Liverpool 20,152
1992 31 October Flag of Australia Brisbane Broncos 22-8 Flag of England Wigan Central Park, Wigan 17,460
1994 1 June Flag of England Wigan 20-14 Flag of Australia Brisbane Broncos ANZ Stadium, Brisbane 54,220
1997[1] 17 October Flag of Australia Brisbane Broncos 36-12 Flag of Australia Hunter Mariners Ericsson Stadium, Auckland 12,000
2000 22 January Flag of Australia Melbourne Storm 44-6 Flag of England St Helens JJB Stadium, Wigan 13,394
2001 26 January Flag of England St Helens 20-18 Flag of Australia Brisbane Broncos Reebok Stadium, Bolton 16,041
2002 25 January Flag of England Bradford Bulls 41-26 Flag of Australia Newcastle Knights Galpharm Stadium, Huddersfield 21,113
2003 14 February Flag of Australia Sydney Roosters 38-0 Flag of England St Helens Reebok Stadium, Bolton 19,807
2004 13 February Flag of England Bradford Bulls 22-4 Flag of Australia Penrith Panthers Galpharm Stadium, Huddersfield 18,962
2005 4 February Flag of England Leeds Rhinos 39-32 Flag of Australia Canterbury Bulldogs Elland Road, Leeds 37,208
2006 4 February Flag of England Bradford Bulls 30-10 Flag of Australia Wests Tigers Galpharm Stadium, Huddersfield 19,207
2007 23 February Flag of England St Helens 18-14 Flag of Australia Brisbane Broncos Reebok Stadium, Bolton 23,207
2008 29 February Flag of England Leeds Rhinos 11-4 Flag of Australia Melbourne Storm Elland Road, Leeds 33,204

[edit] Statistics and records

Except where noted, these statistics do not include pool matches from the 1997 World Club Challenge.

[edit] Titles won (country of origin)

Wins Country
11 England
5 Australia

[edit] Overall record (club)

Club Won Lost Years Won Years Lost
Wigan Warriors 3 1 1987, 1991, 1994 1992
Bradford Bulls 3 0 2002, 2004, 2006
Brisbane Broncos 2 3 1992, 1997 1994, 2001, 2007
St Helens 2 3 2001, 2007 1976, 2000, 2003
Eastern Suburbs/Sydney Roosters 2 0 1976, 2003
Leeds Rhinos 2 0 2005, 2008
Melbourne Storm 1 1 2000 2008
Widnes Vikings 1 0 1989
Penrith Panthers 0 2 1991, 2004
Canberra Raiders 0 1 1989
Canterbury Bulldogs 0 1 2005
Hunter Mariners 0 1 1997
Manly-Warringah Sea Eagles 0 1 1987
Newcastle Knights 0 1 2002
Wests Tigers 0 1 2006

[edit] Biggest Wins

Points Score Winning Team Losing Team Year
38 44-6 Melbourne Storm St. Helens 2000
38 38-0 Sydney Roosters St. Helens 2003
24 36-12 Brisbane Broncos Hunter Mariners 1997

[edit] Most Points In A Game

Points Score Winning Team Losing Team 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 Winning Team Losing Team Year
32 39-32 Leeds Rhinos Canterbury Bulldogs 2005
26 41-26 Bradford Bulls Newcastle Knights 2002
18 30-18 Widnes Vikings Canberra Raiders 1989
18 20-18 St. Helens Brisbane Broncos 2001

[edit] Highest Scoring Matches

Points Score Winning Team Losing Team Year
71 39-32 Leeds Rhinos Canterbury Bulldogs 2005
67 41-26 Bradford Bulls (England) Newcastle Knights 2002
50 44-6 Melbourne Storm (Australia) St. Helens 2000

[edit] Lowest Scoring Matches

Points Score Winning Team Losing Team 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)
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)
2 El Masri (Canterbury), Fieldon (Bradford), Gene (Bradford), Johns (Newcastle), Offiah (Widnes), Paul (Bradford), Ross (Melbourne), Sailor (Brisbane), Sculthorpe (St Helens), Vainakolo (Bradford), Withers (Bradford), Zisti (Hunter), Gardner (St Helens)
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), Jones-Buchanan (Leeds), Joynt (St Helens), Kerrod Walters (Brisbane), Kevin Walters (Brisbane), Lolesi (Canterbury), Long (St Helens), Mather (Wigans), Mathers (Leeds), McGuire (Leeds), Meninga (Canberra), Morgan (Melbourne), Moreley (Roosters), Moule (Melbourne), Myers (Widnes), O'Neill (Brisbane), O'Sullivan (Canberra), P. Hulme (Widnes), Panapa (Widnes), Parker (Bradford), Patten (Canterbury), 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)

[edit] Goals (conversions and penalties)

Goals Name (club/s)
12 Botica (Widnes / Wigan)
9 Fitzgibbon (Roosters)
8 Deacon (Bradford)
5 Harris (Bradford), Sinfield (Leeds), Watts (Melbourne)
4 El Masri (Canterbury), Long (St Helens), Stephenson (Wigan)
3 Johns (Newcastle), Sculthorpe (St Helens), Withers (Bradford), Davies (Wigan), Parker (Brisbane), De Vere (Brisbane), Matterson (Brisbane)
2 Wood (Canberra)
1 Hodgeson (Wests Tigers), O'Neill (Brisbane), O'Sullivan (Canberra), Brass (Roosters), Lavea (Melbourne), O'Conner (Manly), Pimblett (Wigan)

[edit] Field goals

Goals Name (club/s)
2 Sinfield (Leeds)
1 Lydon (Wigan), Long (St Helens), Sculthorpe (St Helens), Deacon (Bradford)

[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 2 37,208 33,204
Galpharm Stadium Huddersfield 3 21,113 18,962
JJB Stadium Wigan 1 13,394 13,394
Ericcson 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] Footnotes

  1. ^ This is the result from the grand final of a 22 team 1997 World Club Challenge. For the results of the other matches in that tournament please see 1997 World Club Challenge.

[edit] Sources

[edit] External links

[edit] See also

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