ALL the stats and facts ahead of Sunday’s World Club Challenge showdown with the Bunnies.
St Helens – Previous World Club Challenge Appearances:
James Roby
(2007, St Helens v Brisbane, Won)
Paul Wellens
(2007, St Helens v Brisbane, Won)
(2001, St Helens v Brisbane, Won)
(2000, St Helens v Melbourne, Lost)
Jon Wilkin
(2007, St Helens v Brisbane, Won)
St Helens coach Keiron Cunningham takes charge of his first World Club Challenge, in only his third game as head coach of the club. Cunningham played for Saints in two previous World Club Challenges – in 2001 (v Brisbane, Won) and 2007 (v Brisbane, Won).
South Sydney Rabbitohs – Previous World Club Challenge Appearances:
Greg Inglis
(2010, Melbourne v Leeds, Won)
Glenn Stewart
(2012, Manly v Leeds, Lost)
(2009, Manly v Leeds, Won)
Souths coach Michael Maguire takes charge of his second World Club Challenge, having previously coached Wigan in the Warriors’ 2011 loss to St George Illawarra Dragons.
Qualification:
St Helens qualified for this year’s World Club Challenge by beating Wigan Warriors 14-6 in the Super League Grand Final at Old Trafford, Manchester, on October 11, 2014. Attendance: 70,102.
Saints: Paul Wellens (Captain), Tom Makinson, Mark Percival, Josh Jones, Adam Swift, Mark Flanagan, Lance Hohaia, Kyle Amor, James Roby, Mose Masoe, Louie McCarthy-Scarsbrook, Iosia Soliola, Jordan Turner. Subs (all used): Luke Thompson, Willie Manu, Alex Walmsley, Greg Richards.
Tries: Soliola, Makinson; Goals: Percival 3.
Man of the Match: James Roby won the Harry Sunderland Trophy.
The Rabbitohs qualified for this year’s World Club Challenge by beating Canterbury Bulldogs 30-6 in the NRL Premiership Grand Final at ANZ Stadium, Sydney, on October 5 2014. Attendance: 83,833.
Rabbitohs: Greg Inglis, Alex Johnston, Dylan Walker, Kirisome Auva’a, Lote Tuqiri, Luke Keary, Adam Reynolds, George Burgess, Apisai Koroisau, David Tyrell, Ben Te’o, John Sutton (Captain), Sam Burgess. Subs (all used): Jason Clark, Kyle Turner, Chris McQueen, Tom Burgess.
Tries: Johnston, G Burgess, Auva’a, Reynolds, Inglis; Goals: Reynolds 5.
Man of the Match: Sam Burgess won the Clive Churchill Medal.
World Club Challenge History
The first World Club Championship/Challenge match was on Tuesday June 29 1976 when Eastern Suburbs (now Sydney Roosters) beat St Helens 25-2 at the Sydney Cricket Ground before a crowd of 26,856.
The Saints had won the Premiership in 1975-76, while Easts were the 1975 Australian Premiership Grand Final winners.
The one-off match was given little official status and there were no further meetings between the countries’ top teams until Wigan met and beat Manly 8-2 at Central Park on October 7 1987 in the re-styled World Club Challenge.
Wigan qualified as the 1986-87 Division One champions and Manly as Australia’s Minor Premiership (league leaders) winners, although they did win the Grand Final just 10 days before meeting Wigan.
The World Club Challenge was given full International Board recognition in 1989 and was played at irregular intervals up to 1994 between the British champions and Australia’s Grand Final winners.
In 1997, there was a Super League World Club Championship involving 22 clubs.
There was a gap of a few years before the World Club Challenge was restored in 2000 with a match between Britain and Australia’s Grand Final winners.
British clubs have won 12 of the 20 World Club Challenge matches since 1987.
World Club Challenge 1987-2014:
7/10/87 – Wigan 8 Manly 2 (Central Park, Wigan) Attendance: 36,895
10/10/89 – Widnes 30 Canberra 18 (Old Trafford, Manchester) Attendance: 30,786
2/10/91 – Wigan 21 Penrith 4 (Anfield, Liverpool) Attendance: 20,152
30/10/92 – Brisbane 22 Wigan 8 (Central Park, Wigan) Attendance: 17,746
1/6/94 – Wigan 20 Brisbane 14 (ANZ Stadium, Brisbane) Attendance: 54,220
22/1/00 – Melbourne 44 St Helens 6 (JJB Stadium, Wigan) Attendance: 13,394
26/1/01 – St Helens 20 Brisbane 18 (Reebok Stadium, Bolton) Attendance: 16,041
1/2/02 – Bradford 41 Newcastle 26 (McAlpine Stadium, Huddersfield) Attendance: 21,113
14/2/03 – Sydney Roosters 38 St Helens 0 (Reebok Stadium, Bolton) Attendance: 19,807
13/2/04 – Bradford 22 Penrith 4 (McAlpine Stadium, Huddersfield) Attendance: 18,962
4/2/05 – Leeds 39 Bulldogs 32 (Elland Road, Leeds) Attendance: 37,028
3/2/06 – Bradford 30 Wests Tigers 10 (Galpharm Stadium, Huddersfield) Attendance: 19,207
23/2/07 – St Helens 18 Brisbane 14 (Reebok Stadium, Bolton) Attendance: 23,207
29/2/08 – Leeds 11 Melbourne 4 (Elland Road, Leeds) Attendance: 33,204
1/3/09 – Manly 28 Leeds 20 (Elland Road, Leeds) Attendance: 32,569
28/2/10 – Melbourne 18 Leeds 10 (Elland Road, Leeds) Attendance: 27,697
27/2/11 – St George Illawarra 21 Wigan 15 (DW Stadium, Wigan) Attendance: 24,268
17/2/12 – Leeds 26 Manly 12 (Headingley Carnegie, Leeds) Attendance: 21,062
22/2/13 – Leeds 14 Melbourne 18 (Headingley Carnegie, Leeds) Attendance: 20,400
22/2/14 – Sydney Roosters 36 Wigan 14 (Allianz Stadium, Sydney) Attendance: 31,515
