After a successful Auckland Nines last weekend, the real games begin this Saturday night when last year’s NRL champions, the Sydney Roosters, take on their English Super League counterparts, the Wigan Warriors, in the annual World Club Challenge.
Traditionally, this pre-season fixture has been held in England where the season starts just as their winter is coming to a close.
The cold weather has caused some Australian sides to perform poorly in the match, with the notable exceptions of the St George Illawarra Dragons, who defeated Wigan to win in 2011, and the Melbourne Storm, victors over Leeds in 2013.
The World Club Challenge now returns to Australia for the first time in 20 years, marking only the third time since its inception in 1975 that the fixture has been held Down Under and its second in Sydney, the first being the inaugural fixture which saw the Roosters thrash St Helens 25-2.
The only other Australian fixture saw Wigan defeat the Brisbane Broncos in Brisbane in front of a crowd of 54,220 in 1994, in a match which was unusually held in the middle of the Australian rugby league season.
The biggest winners of the relocation are the Roosters, whose non-Auckland Nines contingent enjoyed a comfortable trial win over Newcastle on the weekend, and the fans who rode with them all the way to the premiership last year.
This match will also see some marquee match-ups take place, none more so than Roosters captain Anthony Minichiello taking on former North Queensland Cowboys and Queensland Origin fullback Matt Bowen.
Sydney Roosters
What an impressive season they had in 2013 as rookie coach Trent Robinson took the team from 13th in 2012 to minor premiers, and ultimately their first premiership since 2002.
A team that fielded Anthony Minichiello, their only remnant from the 2002 premiership, plus superstar centre Michael Jennings, Sonny Bill Williams and the new halves pairing of James Maloney and Mitchell Pearce proved very hard to beat in 2013 as their defence set a new benchmark in the competition.
They kept six teams to zero during the season: the Broncos, Eels, Bulldogs, Dragons, Sharks and the Sea Eagles, the latter in a very physical qualifying final and against whom they would eventually win the premiership decider.
Luke O’Donnell is the only major loss from the club. After being thrown a lifeline by the Roosters at the end of 2012, the former New South Wales Origin enforcer finally hung up the boots at the end of last season.
Apart from that loss, the Roosters are expected to field almost the same side that walked the lap of honour on the first Sunday of last October, and there will be at least two players who will take part in the World Club Challenge fixture for a second time.
Anthony Minichiello will play in his second World Club Challenge after previously featuring in the Roosters side which thrashed St Helens in 2003, while Sonny Bill Williams will do likewise after featuring for the Bulldogs in their loss to Leeds in 2005.
But for the rest of the team, the World Club Challenge will be a whole new experience as they play together as a team for the first time since last year’s premiership success.
Wigan Warriors
Like the Roosters, the Warriors enjoyed another excellent season in which they finished fourth on the ladder and took out their 14th RFLC/Super League title and second in four years.
They also took out the Challenge Cup last August, thus becoming the first team since St Helens in 2006 to simultaneously hold the Challenge Cup and Super League titles.
St Helens went on to beat the Brisbane Broncos in the 2007 World Club Challenge, becoming the last team to simultaneously hold all three of rugby league’s most prestigious trophies.
Pat Richards, Lee Mossop and Sam Tomkins are the notable omissions from the Wigan side that won the 2013 Super League title, all three having since joined the NRL.
One notable member in their squad for the World Club Challenge will be Matt Bowen, the former Cowboys fullback.
Along with Bowen, the Warriors will field two more former NRL players, namely Blake Green, who had stints at the Eels, Sharks and Bulldogs, as well as Eddy Pettybourne, who only played 12 games for the Wests Tigers last season after playing 91 with the Rabbitohs between 2009 and 2012.
The Warriors will be hoping that their first World Club Challenge since 2011 ends in a better result, after they suffered a narrow 21-15 loss to St George Illawarra three years ago.
Up to four players may mark their second World Club Challenge, including captain Sean O’Loughlin, Darrell Goulding, Michael McIlorum and Liam Farrell, and for most of the squad this will be their first time playing a competitive match in Australia.
The Warriors’ premiership defence got off to a terrible start, with the team losing the season opener 24-8 to last year’s minor premiers, Huddersfield. Bowen was booked for an illegal tackle in the second half, which had threatened his availability for this match.
Upon arrival Down Under they first transited into New Zealand, where they opposed an under-strength New Zealand Warriors side in Hamilton and defeated them 46-22.
Key match-up: Anthony Minichiello versus Matt Bowen
Minichiello is the heart and soul of the Roosters. Since making his NRL debut in 2000, the veteran fullback has featured in two NRL premiership-winning campaigns, represented New South Wales in the State of Origin and Australia in the Tri-Nations, and was recognised as the Golden Boot winner in 2005.
He’s also had his fair share of injuries, none more so than a series of serious back and ankle injuries between 2006 and 2009 which threatened to end his career during his mid-20s. Without these injuries, he could possibly have already joined the NRL’s 300-game club.
But his determination never to give up, as evidenced when he led the Roosters to last year’s premiership, is the main reason why he is still playing today.
His opposite number, Matt Bowen, also enjoyed a stellar NRL career but without premiership success after it eluded him in 2005, when the Cowboys lost the grand final to the Wests Tigers.
Like Minichiello, Bowen has also played State of Origin, making 10 appearances for Queensland between 2003 and 2007 but only making one Test appearance for Australia, in a one-off against France in 2004.
He also suffered a knee injury which hindered his 2008, 2009 and 2010 seasons. The Cowboys struggled on the field in this period, further highlighting his importance to the team.
Bowen announced his departure from the Cowboys at the end of last season after 270 games, marking the end of an era for the club.
His duel with Minichiello will be what stands out on Saturday night, as he bids an informal farewell to the Australian fans who have grown to love him since making his NRL debut in 2001.
Also expect the Wigan halves pairing of Blake Green and Sam Powell to hold their own against James Maloney and Mitchell Pearce, and former Rabbitoh Eddy Pettybourne to go head-to-head with Jared Waerea-Heargreaves in the front row.
Stats that matter
* This will be the sixth World Club Challenge for Wigan, while for the Sydney Roosters this will be their fourth.
* Wigan will be seeking their fourth WCC, the Roosters their third.
* The Roosters have never lost the annual fixture, winning in their two attempts to date (1976 and 2003); conversely, the Warriors lost in their most recent appearance, against the St. George Illawarra Dragons in 2011.
* Minichiello is the only remnant from the Roosters’ side which thrashed St Helens 38-0 to win in 2003.
* Victory for the Warriors would see them become the first side since St Helens in 2006-7 to simultaneously hold the Challenge Cup, Super League and World Club Challenge.
* Victory for the Roosters would see them become the first team since the St George Illawarra Dragons in 2010-11 to win the NRL minor premiership, premiership and World Club Challenge simultaneously.
The verdict
The Roosters will enter this match with most, if not all, of their premiership-winning squad being retained for this season, and it’s widely predicted that they will all line up as a team for the first time since last year’s premiership success.
On the other hand, the Warriors have lost some notable names but for the most part have also retained most of their victorious squad from last year. All in all, the two teams are well balanced on paper.
The Roosters will have the home crowd support as they try to protect their unbeaten record in the World Club Challenge, while the Warriors will look to emulate their 1994 counterparts and cause an upset on Australian soil.
Based on their experience, good form in the trial, dominant 2013 and home ground advantage, I’m expecting the Roosters will just come out on top in a very close tussle.
Prediction
Sydney Roosters by 12 points.
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