Wednesday 27th February 08

LEEDS RHINOS v MELBOURNE STORM  

At Elland Road Stadium, Leeds – 29 February 2008 (7.30pm)

Both clubs are appearing in the Carnegie World Club Challenge for a second time, each having won on the previous occasion.

Leeds beat Canterbury Bulldogs 39-22 at Elland Road in 2005. Hoping to make a second World Club Challenge appearance for Leeds are: Keith Senior, Kevin Sinfield, Danny McGuire, Ryan Bailey, Jamie Jones-Buchanan, Gareth Ellis, Rob Burrow and Ali Lauitiiti.

Melbourne beat St. Helens 44-6 at the JJB Stadium, Wigan, in 2000. None of that side is in the present squad. 

LEEDS RHINOS qualified for this year’s World Club Challenge by beating St. Helens 33-6 in the engage Super League Grand Final at Old Trafford last October 13. Attendance: 71,352

Leeds: Webb; Smith, Toopi, Senior, Donald; McGuire, Burrow; Leuluai, Diskin, Peacock, Jones-Buchanan, Ellis, Sinfield (Capt.). Subs: Lauitiiti, Bailey, Kirke, Ablett

Tries: Webb, Lauitiiti, Donald, Jones-Buchanan Smith; Goals: Sinfield (6); Drop goal: Burrow

Man of the match: Rob Burrow won the Harry Sunderland Trophy

MELBOURNE STORM qualified for this year’s World Club Challenge by beating Manly Sea Eagles 34-8 in the Telstra Premiership Grand Final at the Telstra Stadium, Sydney, last September 30. Attendance: 81,392

Melbourne: Slater; Turner, King, Folau, Quinn; Inglis, Cronk; Cross, Cameron Smith (Captain), White, Newton, Hoffman, Johnson. Subs:  Jeremy Smith, Geyer, Crocker, Lima

Tries: Quinn (2), Inglis (2), Crocker, King, Newton; Goals: Cameron Smith (3)

Man of the match: Greg Inglis won the Clive Churchill Medal

WORLD CLUB CHALLENGE HISTORY

The first World Club Championship/Challenge match was on Tuesday, 29 June 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 7 October 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 ten of the 13 World Club Challenge matches since 1987.

World Club Challenge results since 1987

                                                                        Venue                          Attendance

7.10.87   Wigan             8          Manly        2     Wigan                           36,895 

10.10.89 Widnes            30         Canberra 18      Man.U. FC                    30,786 

2.10.91   Wigan             21         Penrith       4     Liverpool FC                 20,152

30.10.92 Brisbane          22         Wigan        8     Wigan                           17,746 

1.6.94     Wigan             20         Brisbane   14     Brisbane                       54,220

22.1.00   Melbourne       44         St. Helens   6    Wigan                           13,394 

26.1.01   St. Helens       20         Brisbane   18     Bolton W. FC                16,041

1.2.02     Bradford         41         Newcastle 26     Huddersfield                 21,113

14.2.03   Sydney           38         St. Helens   0    Bolton W.FC                 19,807

13.2.04   Bradford         22         Penrith         4   Huddersfield                 18,962

4.2.05     Leeds             39         Bulldogs    22   Leeds U.FC                  37,028

3.2.06    Bradford         30         Wests        10    Huddersfield                 19,207 

23.2.07   St. Helens       18         Brisbane   14     Bolton                          23,207 

Brisbane Broncos beat Hunter Mariners 36-12 at Auckland, New Zealand, in the 1997 Super League World Club Championship final following a competition involving 22 clubs. The attendance was 12,000.

RECORDS
Most tries: No player has scored three or more in a World Club Challenge match, but Darren Smith got a hat-trick for Brisbane Broncos when they beat Hunter Mariners in the final of the 22-club world championship in 1997.

Most goals: 9 (inc. 1 dg) by Paul Deacon (Bradford Bulls) v Newcastle Knights 2002

9 by Craig Fitzgibbon (Sydney Roosters) v St. Helens … 2003

Most points: 22 (1t, 9g) by Craig Fitzgibbon (Sydney Roosters) v St. Helens … 2003

Most appearances: 4 by Shaun Edwards (Wigan 1987 won, 1991 won, 1992 lost, 1994 won), Sean Long and Paul Sculthorpe (St. Helens 2000 lost, 2001 won, 2003 lost, 2007 won).
 
Sent off
The only player to be sent off in a World Club Challenge match was Ron Gibbs of Manly for illegal use of the elbow on Wigan’s Joe Lydon in 1987. Gibbs was not suspended.