World Club Challenge harder to win than NRL grand final
By Benjamin Conkey, 19 Feb 2009 Benjamin Conkey is a Roar Pro
- Tagged:
- Jason Robinson, Leeds Rhinos, Matt Orford, NRL grand final, Rugby League, World Club Challenge
The rugby league World Club challenge has to be the ultimate test for any NRL team. I say the ultimate test because in the NRL Grand Final, at least teams have form on their side going into the match.
When Manly lines up against the Leeds Rhinos at the beginning of next month, it will be almost five months since they defeated Melbourne 40-0.
The WCC is usually played in bitterly cold temperatures in a cauldron of British patriotism. The Super League brand means entertainment and colour.
In the past it’s been a lavish pre-match pyrotechnic show followed by a countdown clock to get the crowd pumped and arouse the players for the first big hit-ups.
The problem for Australian clubs is obvious: they must jolt themselves out of their off-season mode; they must acclimatise to the conditions; and they must play against a team who already has a couple of Super League matches under their belt.
It’s little wonder that an Australian club has not won since 2003, when the Roosters demolished St Helens.
Manly is determined to deny another English victory.
They are already in England training hard to acclimatise, despite the match being a fortnight away. Manly has also scheduled a practice match against London club Harlequins in an effort to find that Grand Final winning form.
However, despite all the pre-match preparation, history shows the Super League style of play tends to catch Australian players off-guard. English teams play the ball so quickly once tackled and then are so disciplined at running from dummy-half to churn up the metres, almost akin to touch football.
It’s smart because the Australian forwards don’t have a chance to set themselves to make the big hits and offside penalties are always on the cards.
Matt Orford’s kicking game will be challenged by the tiny in-goal areas at Elland Road, which are at least half the size of Australian grounds and makes stopping the ball almost mission impossible.
And catching a high bomb in swirling winds may just make Brett Stewart look as inadequate as Manu Vatuvei.
In saying that, I think the World Club Challenge is a great concept and is played in the right country and the right time of the year. The atmosphere is electric and, despite their obvious bias, the English commentators inject further passion into the game (I’d prefer Mike Stephenson to Phil Gould any day).
The good news for Manly is that an Australian referee is once again in charge. Leeds have appointed Jason Robinson to officiate the match.
However, he will no doubt be under pressure to adopt the Super League mantra of ultra fast play.
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February 19th 2009 @ 4:19am
Mitch (in Valencia) said | February 19th 2009 @ 4:19am | Report comment
Good article. A different look at the WCC… I msut ask though, as an ignorant Rugby fan, are you suggesting the Englsih game is faster than the NRL? Or just a different style, that incorporates fast play the balls?
February 19th 2009 @ 6:56am
Tim said | February 19th 2009 @ 6:56am | Report comment
The gist of your article is that the WCC is harder for NRL clubs to win because (a) the circumstances are set up to provide the English club with a distinct advantage and (b) because the NRL club has trouble taking it seriously. So what exactly is it that the WCC is supposed to be the ultimate test _of_? The ability of the club’s various players to perform to their usual standard lacking practice, match fitness, and developed combinations? Or perhaps it’s the ultimate test of the club’s ability to motivate its holidaying players for a game that most casual supporters in their home country won’t even realise is being played.
The fact of the matter is that if Australian clubs were even one tenth as interested in claiming the WCC as they are in winning the NRL Grand Final, they’d be in England acclimatising weeks earlier, arranging to play trial matches with their full-strength squads, The fact that NRL clubs only play a single trial match prior to the WCC, and prefer to field rookies and rest their regulars, speaks volumes about how seriously they regard the WCC match.
February 19th 2009 @ 9:06am
John D said | February 19th 2009 @ 9:06am | Report comment
A very interestin garticle and spot on in my opinion. One point though regarding Matt Orford, don’t forget he played for Storm at Olympic Park for several years and he was a master at using the small in-goal areas. I think they are similar perhaps even shorter than Elland Road.
February 19th 2009 @ 9:42am
Millster said | February 19th 2009 @ 9:42am | Report comment
Tim – respect your view and there may be a fair bit of truth in it but as a football fan who sees the struggles of A-League clubs in putting themselves together for the ACL group stages which are not in line with the domestic season, I’m not fully prepared to succumb to the view that it’s just a conscious decision not to care. The logistics and phasing of distant games played in the off season are not simple for any team in any code.
Also whether or not the individuals clubs care is one thing, whether they SHOULD care or not is another. NRLs future is a not so happy one if it does not find a way of strengthening its fragile Aust-UK-NZ spine which is one of the very few areas of potential strategic development available to it.
February 19th 2009 @ 10:25am
Hoy said | February 19th 2009 @ 10:25am | Report comment
I hate that the poms beat us, giving rise to the claim their club comp is better than ours. Just my mind working there ticking away with evil thoughts.
I would like to see how their champs go down here after their off season, when our champ is hitting their straps. Maybe they could still win some, but the fact is we will never know until they actually come down here for once.
They do have smaller ingoals which would be hard to adjust to if you were used to being able to bomb into the ingoal, however Orford doesn’t go for the high kicks that often does he? Manly are not generally known as high kickers to the ingoal, with leaping wingers.
I think the most obvious factor against Aus teams is the off season. They have no combinations, no game fitness etc.
February 19th 2009 @ 12:06pm
Norm said | February 19th 2009 @ 12:06pm | Report comment
Tim
despite what you think the Aussie clubs definately want to win the WCC it’s just that the timing of the game as Millster points out is against them. Having said that as a Roosters fan I do not want Manly to win so I can keep boasting to my footy friends that my team has been the only successful NRL side. Selfish I know.
February 19th 2009 @ 12:12pm
james said | February 19th 2009 @ 12:12pm | Report comment
I personally think greater emphasis should be placed on the wcc. It wouldnt go astray to have 3 games over three weeks with alternating home venues each year (similar to origin). Also maybe some more prize money to put some prestige into the comp
February 19th 2009 @ 12:53pm
Worlds Biggest said | February 19th 2009 @ 12:53pm | Report comment
While the game is a good concept what does it actually mean ?. If Leeds beat Manly are they ” Officially ” the best club team in the World ?. If these teams were to play each other 10 times during the season ( each play 5 home & away ) I would say Manly wins probably 7 times. Yes it is a hyperthetical however the NRL Teams are simply better. The NRL teams certainly take it more seriously now than say 15 years ago. Teams back then were still celebrating there GF wins and didn’t take the game too seriously. I think teams now would like to win but is not a big priority, maybe that attitude should change.
February 19th 2009 @ 1:07pm
Crosscoder said | February 19th 2009 @ 1:07pm | Report comment
Just for bragging rights and the gate alone is worth the effort,and why clubs take it more seriously.The ESL game has more flow and a tendency to use the ball in hand more in the backs.To me and i will reserve my judgement with the 2 NRL referees,it flows more in the old dart.
Millster
I have to laugh when you refer to the fragile spine of rl in Aust/UK/NZ.Of those NZ would be considered fragile and the Warriors as a club cerainly are not. Rugby league in the UK is booming,with Tv contracts,first up crowds,Tv ratings anmd expasion into Wales and France.Now we hear PNG wants to get ateam into the NRL.The ESL is now to appear on Russian TV ,and Les Catalans on French Orange TV.
check the RLEF website. rlef.eu.com to get an inside on how the game is further expanding in Europe and the ME..
February 19th 2009 @ 1:49pm
Benjamin Conkey said | February 19th 2009 @ 1:49pm | Report comment
No Australian sporting team or individual in any sport at any level wants to get beaten by the Poms. They do care, perhaps people say Australian teams don’t take the match seriously because they’ve been beaten so often in this fixture.
I prefer the one-off match. The last thing you want it a dead rubber.
If you want a trip back down memory lane check out this Youtube clip of Brisbane V Wigan in Australia in 1994.