The Super League XXIX season is only a week old and already the defending champions are on hiatus. For great reason, though: the chance to become the world champions of the club game.
Rugby league’s misshapen international sphere, with geographical splits within two strongholds on opposite sides of the world, has its limitations but it lends itself perfectly to us-and-them rivalry. Lancashire and Yorkshire. Queensland and New South Wales. England (or Great Britain as it often was) and Australia, and the domestic variant of that face-off: Super League and NRL.
The World Club Challenge could have faded away silently during the Covid pandemic as St Helens were twice deprived of the chance to fly England’s flag. They finally did so last year against Penrith Panthers, Australia’s dynasty of today. Lewis Dodd’s golden-point drop-goal gave Saints a 13-12 win, only the second time an English club has won this match in Australia.
And so it is back to northwest England and the DW Stadium, where Wigan Warriors host Penrith on Saturday night. The Panthers arrived last weekend, have used Manchester City’s Etihad campus and have trained with Warrington Wolves and Sale Sharks. They have won the NRL three years on the trot, overturning a 16-point deficit in the final quarter of the Grand Final against Brisbane Broncos last year.
St Helens’ triumph 12 months ago was a mighty blow to exceptionalism in Australia, where NRL is perhaps the biggest show in town. George Williams, the Warrington half back, described being a league player in Sydney as like being a footballer in Manchester (except Sydney has nine teams). Australian sides had won seven out of eight pre-Covid fixtures, often by large margins, and only the great Wigan team of the late 20th century had won down under, beating Brisbane 30 years ago in front of a crowd of 54,220.
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It would be immoderate to suggest that Super League is suddenly on par with the NRL for the size of the circus it entails. After all, the NRL will kick off this season on March 2 with a double-header at Allegiant Stadium, the home of Las Vegas Raiders in the NFL and the venue for the Super Bowl a fortnight ago. Yet, the World Club Challenge comes while there is a spring in the English step.
The total attendance for last weekend’s matches was 76,699, the highest figure for an opening round. Every match was televised by Sky Sports — as will be the case all season — and BBC Two broadcast Wigan’s defeat of Castleford Tigers. As part of that deal to show 15 matches on the terrestrial network this season, the World Club Challenge will kick off at 8pm on Saturday live on BBC Two. Wigan announced the match was sold out four weeks ahead of time.
Wigan are chasing a fifth World Club Challenge win after successes in 1987, 1991, 1994 and 2017, matching the achievement of Sydney Roosters. Penrith have lost all three of their challenges, including against Wigan 33 years ago. On a Wednesday night at Anfield, Wigan won 21-4 thanks to the boot of Frano Botica, tries from David Myers and Sam Panapa, and a late drop-goal by Joe Lydon.
“You know you’re making history, don’t you, this game,” Matt Peet, the Wigan head coach, says. “But the fact is also we’ll have a game the week after. The thing about the Grand Final is you finish the season on a great high, whereas this game is a high — a great high — but you’ve no opportunity after that to take the foot off the gas.”
It was a group of Penrith backs that spearheaded Samoa’s run to the World Cup final in 2022. Jarome Luai, the string-puller, is injured but Taylan May, Izack Tago and Brian To’o remain, the team having lost Stephen Crichton in the off-season. In the half backs they have Nathan Cleary, hailed by Peet as en route to becoming the best player of all time.
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Last year, Cleary was GQ Australia’s sportsman of the year. Here in England, he is enjoying a sense of anonymity. That off-field status emphasises the chasm between the nations. On the field, however, it should be closer. A ding-dong awaits.
Wigan Warriors vs Penrith Panthers
World Club Challenge
Kick-off 8pm
TV BBC Two
