Rugby league’s history, tradition and future will be on display in February courtesy of the 2015 World Club Series.
Some of the code’s oldest, professional and most successful clubs will come together in a series of exhibition matches which will culminate in a game featuring the champions of the two existing professional leagues in the world.
St Helens and the South Sydney Rabbitohs will play each other in a bid to determine the professional world’s club champion. The two teams represent not only modern professionalism but also the game’s history and traditions.
Founded in 1873 and 1908, respectively, St Helens and Souths are both foundation clubs in world rugby league. In 1895, St Helens broke away to help form the new code in the UK while the Rabbitohs did so in Australia in 1908.
St Helens have 21 grand final appearances and 13 victories to their name. They also competed in the first Challenge Cup final in 1896-97, winning that title 12 times while Souths have won 21 premiership titles from 33 attempts.
Despite having the history of the sport at their fingertips, it seems that the World Club Series will be the first time that these two giants of rugby league will have faced each other.
And what of the exhibition matches?
The first match will see the historical Warrington Wolves, founded in 1879, up against the first professional joint-venture rugby league club, the St George-Illawarra Dragons, founded in 1998.
The Wolves, boasting the scalp of a touring Australian side in 1908, are a triple premiership and eight-time Challenge Cup winner. Consistent finalists over the last five years, they are the only club to have played in every top flight season in the UK.
Contrast this with the Dragons, who contested their first grand final in the first year of their existence and then won their first title just over a decade later in 2010.
The second match will see the Wigan Warriors, founded in 1872, facing the Brisbane Broncos, who were established in 1987.
The Wigan Warriors, with 20 premiership titles from 35 attempts and 19 Challenge Cups from 30 attempts, are arguably the world’s most successful professional rugby league club. Australia’s most professional and successful modern day club, the Brisbane Broncos, have yet to taste defeat in the six grand finals they have contested.
These two powerhouses have already met twice before with each club securing a victory apiece.
The World Club Series ought to be seen as the basis for the potential future of the sport of rugby league. As the world gets smaller, the horizons of league will continue to expand.
Here’s to a most successful series.
Nate
Roar Rookie
WCC was good, now its ruined by fools....good luck with this IRLF
Sleiman Azizi
Roar Guru
What I meant to suggest was that it's obviously not a normal thing to win back-to-back titles so to me, I've never seen it as an issue. A club does their best that's that. Setting up the competition so that a team can win back-to-back titles at the expense of the benefits of an expanded international presence seems like a ridiculous argument.
Muzz
Guest
Pearce may have been trying to settle Auva'a down.We all know how dangerous that boy can be when he does a gasket.
3 Hats
Guest
Your an ??? Muzz, I have pretty bad hearing yet it is plain as day to me, face the facts mate, I am right, why don't you just concede your wrong.
Muzz
Guest
Sounds like Pearce is saying "settle down" or "Settle it down" and his body language/arm movements appear to be calming someone down. I'll try and edit out the sound of the channel 9 circus and see if it's any clearer. BTW - Are your hats made of tin foil?
3 Hats
Guest
Pearce Sledge Muzz, Here it is mate on sports ears. Pearce sledges Sutton with "chokers, your choking mate? Just after Pearce gets penalized for off-side at marker. "POOR DISCIPLINE" he should of been sent to the sin binned as Auva' was in Rd26!. It is at 43:20 of the clip time, not game time. have a look at it MUZZ. let me know when you see this please. https://www.facebook.com/l.php?u=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.youtube.com%2Fwatch%3Fv%3D177imB-vR_g&h=lAQF36siQ
Tripehound
Guest
Swamprat, I don't think the picture is as dark as you're painting it. Far from London being allowed to fail, the idea of just keep throwing money at a problem was what was failing there. The club suffered from being a nomad in the capital, constantly moving from borough to borough didn't help in building up a strong and loyal fan base. The amateur and junior game in London is now well established and very strong and presents excellent foundations on which to build. Now that the club seems to be settled in Barnet it gives the current owner, David Hughes and his talented backroom staff every chance to actually make their new plan for the future work. As for the new look ESL competition this year, to start crying that it's a failure before it has begun is hardly fair. What will happen in the new season is that we won't have to suffer the midseason malaise that has blighted the game in recent years. It will in effect make every match a vital one, the thing we need to push our sport forward is positivity. Constantly bemoaning our luck, carping on about how hard done by we are (no matter how true this may be) will only be viewed upon in a negative light and provides sucor to those who would do our sport harm.
Sleiman Azizi
Roar Guru
Could you expand some more. Anyone can make a criticism but it would help if you could give me the why and on what basis. I'd really love to see the Super League flourish. Seriously.
swamprat
Roar Pro
The Catalans are bringing the "Treize" back to the south of France. Good luck to them . London has been allowed to fail. it seems like League goes backward whenever the Idea that it can be a real player is opportuned.
swamprat
Roar Pro
I would recognise that The ESL is failing here. If you follow Rugby League here you would know that the game is run by people who couldn't run a corner shop .We have , next year , a competition that is a farce. It's a sort of now you're in , now you're not Mickey Mouse thing. it will be abandoned for the next 15 year olds version no doubt.
Sleiman Azizi
Roar Guru
How would you fix things?
claude
Guest
The french RU bought out RL just like the ARL bought out the \aussie \ru but the \aussie \ru survived as a niche - why cant the french with double the popn and only soccer and \\\\\\\\\\\\ru as winter alternatives - skiing is a recreation..
Sleiman Azizi
Roar Guru
I think the only real issue for Souths is your point number two, the transition in playing styles.
swamprat
Roar Pro
If I was trying to destroy rugby league here in England I couldn't do a better job than those that control the game here. Some of ESL coaches righty crit the lack of continuity with the Intrduction of next seasons format.
3 Hats
Guest
Muzz, I think it was interviews with Souths players on the Souths website. I will try to find the exact link as you say.
3 Hats
Guest
Which team do you follow, The Barry? As you are a supposed "GURU" you must be in the media somewhere. Your probably a dogs fan and still sour from getting smashed, so you take such delight in putting Souths down at every opportunity. By the way Souths started in 1908 not 2002, you tool! 21 PREMIERSHIPS not 1 like the Dragons! It is not rocket science that... Every team had lifted against Souths in 2013 and also in 2014 and I expect the same in 2015! That is what happens when you are a TOP team. It is the same for Easts, Manly and Melbourne. In all pre-game interviews with opposition players you could see it in their face and hear it in their voice then see it in their game that the intensity levels had always increased.
CNS
Guest
3 hats I don't think many who follows the Roosters are arguing that we get penalised too much. It is the fact for some odd reason that all of a sudden teams notorious for giving away penalties become clean skins when playing the Roosters. They will not win penalty counts because of their game style put that does not excuse why their penalty counts were usually so lopsided. It is just weird and hard to watch when your team cannot get penalties but is constantly penalised. Teams do not become clean skins for one or two games against the same opponent every year.
CNS
Guest
That is why the NRL annoys me with this popularity based selection. For people who say these are the only people who accepted an invitation, that is unlikely. Most teams would want to play in this game. They have denied the Roosters and Bulldogs a great opportunity at gaining supporters from overseas while an undeserving club like the Broncos get spoon fed everything.
Muzz
Guest
If Manly's forwards had stayed fit this year, it may have snowed in Bondi and your mob "may not have won the comp" There's some of your "hindsight" logic to chew on. Your avoiding the disparity between Souths and Roosters 2013 "penalties for" compared to 2014 and focusing on the penalties which the Roosters concede.This has been covered and discussed numerous times on this forum and is now old and boring. You've also failed to provide the link to the "mystery" article on Pearce. The Roar has parameters which i respect so i'll put this nicely - Don't reply to my comments in future with the same rubbish.
3 Hats
Guest
Now Muzz don't be Pedantic. You don't receive penalty's with good discipline, you concede less! which "new rule" are you referring to? the 100 odd years one of "you must release the tackled player" Is this the one your referring to? SECTION 11, 10 (a) Release tackled player immediately: The tackled player shall be immediately released and shall not be touched until the ball is in play. this one mate? on page 26 We all know the Roosters give away Penalty's close to their line, as to slow the play down and re-set their defence. they as the media says, "they back their defence" If Manly had taken a couple of Penalty Goals in that Semi 2 years ago, Roosters won 4-nil, you may not of won the comp. As Manly would of gone through in hindsight?