World Club Challenge
From Free net encyclopedia
Image:World Club Challenge Rugby League.PNG The World Club Challenge is an annual rugby league competition held between the winners of the Australian NRL competition and the Super League (Europe) competition.
The competition began unofficially in 1976 as a match between the Australian and English champions, and was organised for some time thereafter sporadically. In 1997 an expanded competition was contested by the 22 clubs playing for the Super League (Australia) and Super League (Europe) competitions. This resulted in the only all-Australian World Club Challenge final, which was played in Auckland.
In 2000 the competition was resurrected, and it has been played annually in various venues in the United Kingdom before the commencement of Super League and NRL seasons. Australian commentators often deride the competition, citing the British home ground advantage and wintery conditions as reasons for Australian teams' poor performance.[1]
Contents |
Statistics and records
Results
- In 1997 an expanded tournament was played with the 22 teams from both Super League competitions. An all-Australian final ensued.
Wins by country
Country | Wins |
---|---|
United Kingdom | 9 |
Australia | 5 |
Wins by club
Country | Wins |
---|---|
Bradford Bulls | 3 |
Wigan Warriors | 3 |
St Helens | 2 |
Brisbane Broncos | 2 |
Eastern Suburbs/Sydney Roosters | 2 |
Leeds Rhinos | 1 |
Melbourne Storm | 1 |
Widnes Vikings | 1 |
Sources
- Gould, Phil "Humbling highlights Tigers' relience on Benji" The Sun Herald, 5 February, 2006. Retrieved 5 February, 2006.
- Rugby Super League website
- telegraph.co.uk website