A fired-up Wigan will be out to continue Super League’s dominance over the NRL in the World Club Challenge on Saturday.
The Super League champs have been down under for nearly two weeks in preparation for facing the Roosters. They have already started their season with a loss to Huddersfield, and followed that up with a resounding 46-22 trial win over the New Zealand Warriors.
They have also already played several trial matches already in the UK. Wigan trained with South Sydney this week and will be primed for Saturday night’s game.
Historically, Super League clubs have just had the wood over the NRL’s grand final winners in the World Club Challenge since the event was last played in Australia in 1994.
In that game, Wigan upset the Brisbane Broncos 20-14 in front of a bumper crowd at ANZ Stadium.
Since then the World Club Challenge has been played 14 times for nine English wins and six Australian victories. All of these games have been played in the UK.
Home advantage undoubtedly plays a big part. An NRL side playing in freezing UK conditions in January and February, right in the middle of pre-season, is a big ask.
The Super League teams are at home and have often already started their regular seasons.
From the NRL point of view the World Club Challenge has often been seen as a bit of an annoyance, something that gets in the way of their upcoming NRL campaign and is largely irrelevant.
A win in Round 1 of the NRL season has been seen as having more value by many Aussie sides.
But on the other side of the fence, the Super League teams want to win the World Club Challenge badly. It is a source of pride.
Australia is the undisputed top dog of rugby league internationally, and the NRL the stronger competition, but this event gives English footy the chance to secure some pride and gain some honour. They take it very seriously.
This shows in the fact that Wigan were happy to travel to Australia to take on the Roosters. An even bigger scalp for them is possible.
Wigan won the grand final and the Challenge Cup last year and are a talented side.
In Shaun Wane they have a talented and upcoming coach who is working wonders.
After taking over from Michael Maguire in October 2011, he has maintained the Warriors high standards.
Wigan beat Warrington in the grand final after finishing fourth, the first time a team had finished in fourth place and gone all the way.
They will meet the Roosters without star trio Sam Tomkins, Pat Richards and Lee Mossop, who are now all in the NRL with New Zealand, Wests Tigers and Parramatta respectively.
They have also lost Harrison Hansen to Salford and their utility Sam Powell will miss the match with injury.
However, they won’t be easybeats.
They have signed Matty Bowen and Eddy Pettybourne from the NRL and Tony Clubb and Dan Sarginson from London.
Bowen can still do the business and this probably will be his last game on Australian soil. He will be out to make it a special one.
Wigan have weapons across the park – try-machine Josh Charnley is wanted by NRL clubs, Sean O’Loughlin is an experienced colossus in the pack, Michael McIllorum and Logan Tomkins are a great one-two punch at hooker, and Blake Green and Matty Smith give the Warriors direction in the halves.
Wigan aren’t in Australia for a holiday, some sun and surf, they are here to win and make history. They are also bringing 3000 loud and noisy supporters with them.
Roosters coach Trent Robinson will know this. Before heading to Bondi he was in charge of the Catalans Dragons and came across the Warriors several times.
Robinson will know intimately what the Super League champs can do and their player strengths and weaknesses. New Roosters signings Heath L’Estrange and Remi Casty, who have joined from Bradford and Catalans, will also be familiar with them.
Wigan will be hoping to catch the Tricolours underdone after the NRL Nines in Auckland and a trial game on the Central Coast.
With the World Club Challenge in Australia for the first time in 20 years, taking place at the Roosters own home ground at Allianz Stadium, Nick Politis’ men will have their own motivation.
A loss will not be how they want to start their 2014 campaign. This World Club Challenge bodes to be the most interesting one in years.
Follow John Davidson on Twitter @johnnyddavidson
Daniel Curtis
Guest
Loyal wigan fan here! While it is widely expected in UK and over in Australia that the roosters will win comfortably against a Wigan side that has lost the likes of tomkins, richards, mossop, hansen and powell (injury) I personally believe the contest will be closer than you guys think. There is a reason why we are the most successful club in rugby league history, because we play the Wigan way! Why do you aussies say your teams don't take this competition seriously from what ive seen in the recent years from the teams who have come over like manly, melbourne, Illawarra etc you do take it seriously i mean for gods sake if roosters weren't taking it seriously why did you recruit the help of the warrington wolves? Praying that our boys can evoke the spirit of '87 and '94 and spring another suprise.
Pot Stirrer
Guest
Yea agree but its alittle disapointing the NRL hasnt seemed to embrace the concept. Cant believe they have missed this oppurtunity. Wouldnt have hurt to promote it and make it a lead into this season. Especially if the Roosters win it would only add to the Souths Roosters first game to kick of the season.
Zaccaaa
Guest
Roosters to win 34-10
Xavier
Guest
CT So you agree its laughable that the World Club challenge was played in the same country for 14 years - remember how these posts were full of an expanded world club challenge with six teams each and now its expanded Nines - it just stutters from one absurdity to another...
Jacksyd
Guest
Roosters should beat Wigan B's very comfortably.
matt
Guest
this game is being shown in the UK so a day game would mean its on in the middle of the night here so later kick off the only option.
Sleiman Azizi
Roar Guru
No matter how the result turns out, the WCC concept is part of the future of international rugby league. The more effort the managing bodies spend on it, the better for rugby league. That's what I think. Oh, and bring back Glebe.
Renegade
Roar Guru
Panthers vs Raiders will be heaps better ay Turbo.... lol My team isn't even playing in the WCC yet I'm still looking forward to it this weekend.... looking like a big crowd as well....certainly well above the average Canberra attendance.
Cathar Treize
Roar Guru
Stop being pretentious. We don't go around on your union threads marginalising your err South West English game. Show a bit of respect.
turbodewd
Guest
WCC? *yawn* Roll on week one of the NRL, thats the only thing that matters.
Eden
Guest
Can't see the chooks losing this one. Defence will exhaust Wigan and they should run away with it in the second half. Annoying this game is on at night...nrl wants to attract families but you only get 3 games a year while the sun is still up...wcc bends over for tv as well I guess
Xavier
Guest
So you agree its biased in favour of UK sides - world challenge err played in the north of England for 14 years
Ken
Guest
No argument Xavier, if the Roosters don't take it seriously Wigan have enough class to take advantage. If they do take it seriously though, which most NRL clubs have in recent years, I think it could get ugly. Wigan have had a couple more trial games than the Roosters but this is far less advantage than in normal years where the SL winner has had ~3 rounds of actual competition before the game, while the NRL team may have only played 1 trial.
Bondy
Guest
Its great to have this game on Australian soil again hopefully the chooks will prevail on their home patch.
Xavier
Guest
The Roosters have had no serious trial games have they whereas Wigan have had a few - they have had 2 weeks to acclimatize whereas Aussie sides get one? How even are they trying to make this game and more importantly who is the ref who might make it even.. Wigan and a couple of others are classes above the Other SL sides whereas the Roosters have to fight and claw every week...
Ken
Guest
Unfortunately I see a thrashing too. Most recent Aussie sides have gone over to England with intent and come home with the silverware despite the huge seasonal difference, foreign refs and the SL teams being a bit more hardened a few games into their season. With those advantages either reversed or non-existant (i.e. neither team has the benefit of a few proper games), a competitive game seems unlikely.
Simon R
Guest
I think John needed to sell his article. John, most journalist use sex these days, although adding hype to only one side of the story works just as well.. Regardless, going off last years WCC.. Leeds showed how competitive the league can be. Storm eventually showed their class and won. I do hope Matty Bowen plays! I don't like the send off he was given for the media last year, most debutantes grew up watching his magic, even Ben Barba has stated Mango was his idol as a kid. Hope he still has it.
Firsttimer
Guest
40 nil score line ... Nuff said
Dan
Guest
You lost me almost on the first para: "A fired-up Wigan will be out to continue Super League’s dominance over the NRL in the World Club Challenge on Saturday." NRL teams have won 4 of the past 5 in spite of it almost always being played in the poms' backyard. Add to that Wigan will be without Tomkins and the Roosters will be pretty well full strength from last year and I reckon there's a case to be made that the Roosters could better their prior effort against St Helens when - as the first Aussie team to really take the game seriously since the SL war - they came out and dismantled the ESL champs 32-0. I also honestly can't see any player in the Wigan line-up as dangerous or game changing as SBW - and he'll be looking for anything title to add to his growing list of honours.
Arnold Krewanty
Guest
Both teams are very under done. Wigan were hopeless vs Huddersfield in rnd 1 & were lucky to beat a reggies Warriors team in NZ. Roosters have not yet even had a full game together as a team, and from the game I saw vs a Knights reserve grade last weekend, they'd hope Pearce continues his 9s form. Who knows what game we're going to get?