World Club Series

[TITAN PETE]

NRL
9:34am Thu 09th October, 2014




The St George Illawarra Dragons have accepted their invitation to participate in next year's World Club Series.

The European Super League have confirmed that the Dragons will join the South Sydney Rabbitohs and the Brisbane Broncos in the series which will be played in the United Kingdom over three days from February 20-22 next year.

The tournament will culminate with the World Club Challenge to determine the best Rugby League team in the world.

The Dragons have been invited following the success of the Rabbitohs in last weekend's NRL Telstra Premiership Grand Final.

Super League General Manager Blake Solly said St George Illawarra had an enormous following in both Australia and the United Kingdom.

"Having tasted success in the 2011 World Club Challenge, it is fitting the Dragons are the third representative from the NRL. The Dragons have a unique place in the history of the sport and Super League fans will look forward to seeing them in the series" Mr Solly said.

"With the Wigan Warriors, St Helens and Warrington Wolves confirmed as Super League's participating clubs, excitement is already building for the Series.

"Not only will the World Club series pit club and against club, but the Super League against the NRL in a fascinating competition between two leagues and two hemispheres."

This will mark the first time the Dragons have played on UK soil since their World Club Challenge victory over the Wigan Warriors at DW Stadium, Wigan in 2011.

"The World Club Series is a great concept and something that our Club has been an advocate of for some time," said Dragons CEO Peter Doust.

"We are delighted to have been invited by the Super League and look forward to this inaugural event".

NRL Head of Football, Todd Greenberg said the new format would add interest to the World Club Challenge.

"Fans already love seeing the best from Australia play the best from Britain," he said.

"But this tournament will showcase three of the top clubs in the NRL.

"It is a chance for our teams to go head-to-head with the best in the UK to determine the best Rugby League clubs in the world."

[Titanic]

Why not send Cronulla who also have a unique place in the sport? Ridiculous, surely the best three clubs should be going.

[TITAN PETE]

Why not send Cronulla who also have a unique place in the sport? Ridiculous, surely the best three clubs should be going.

Agree mate but maybe only the Dragons & Donkeys were the only one's to agree on going

[Mexican titan]

Agree mate but maybe only the Dragons & Donkeys were the only one's to agree on going

There has been plenty of evidence that a trip to the UK just before the season starts has an impact on the first few weeks results and badly affects preparation. It doesn't seem as if clubs were jumping at the chance to be part of this.

[Titanic]

I understand and vaguely sympathise with the non-participants view but as a rugby league supporter and not just a club fanatic, I feel that if the ARLC has agreed to participate in the expanded World Club Challenge then it is in the best interests of the sport to put up the best clubs ... clubs who won't toe the line should have their annual grants reduced ... what could be more damaging to the sport that a second rate competition?

[DIEHARD]

BENNETT BACKS WORLD CLUB SERIES

THE Brisbane Broncos say new coach Wayne Bennett was always supportive of next year’s historic World Club Series campaign.

Brisbane, South Sydney and St George Illawarra have been confirmed take part in the six-team tournament in England from February 20-22. There was a delay in the announcement, with some interpreting it as a result of the change of coach in Brisbane, with Bennett needing to be consulted.

But Broncos chief executive Paul White tells RLW: “Wayne was completely behind the concept and behind us going to England. He has obviously had a long, supportive relationship with international football and with going to England.”

During a recent fact-finding trip to Britain, White dropped into Dubai and believes the idea of an international club series being played in a neutral country is far from fanciful.

“I’ll be honest and say I don’t know what the end-game is for this concept,” he says. “But I do know that the only way to find out is to give it a try. Look at the Auckland Nines. Who would have thought that rugby league would completely rule that city during a tournament that was packed out and involve no crowd trouble?

“We didn’t. Some promoters came forward with the idea and had to convince us. We have to be more open to these sorts of things as a sport if we want to grow our brands.”

http://rugbyleagueweek.com.au/bennet...d-club-series/

[DIEHARD]

The end game needs to be the top 3 SL vs top 3 nrl.

But hopefully it is a success and I think a good addition to the game.

[Mexican titan]

How can a tournament that involves 6 teams be over in three days. How does it work?

[DIEHARD]

How can a tournament that involves 6 teams be over in three days. How does it work?

Just three games I think.

[DIEHARD]

World Club Series - Wolves v Dragons Trailer

[DIEHARD]

World Club Series - Warriors v Broncos Trailer

[DIEHARD]

World Club Challenge Trailer

[DIEHARD]

World Club Series NRL squads

The St George Illawarra Dragons, Brisbane Broncos and South South Sydney Rabbitohs are off to the UK for next weekend's World Club Series. Here are their squads for the three matches.

St George Illawarra Dragons v Warrington Wolves
The Halliwell Jones Stadium
7.00am (AEDT) February 21 (February 20 UK time)

DRAGONS: 1 Josh Dugan, 2 Eto Nabuli, 3 Euan Aitken, 4 Peter Mata'utia, 5 Jason Nightingale, 6 Gareth Widdop, 7 Benji Marshall, 8 Rory O'Brien, 9 Mitch Rein, 10 Leeson Ah Mau, 11 Tyson Frizell, 12 Joel Thompson, 13 Ben Creagh (c). Interchange: 14 Trent Merrin, 15 Jack de Belin, 16 Heath L'Estrange, 17 George Rose, 18 Dane Nielsen, 19 Dylan Farrell, 20 Jake Marketo.


Brisbane Broncos v Wigan Warriors
The DW Stadium, Wigan
6.45am (AEDT) February 22 (February 21 UK time)

BRONCOS (squad): Adam Blair, Mitchell Dodds, James Gavet, Alex Glenn, Justin Hodges, Ben Hunt, Jordan Kahu, Lachlan Maranta, Andrew McCullough, Josh McGuire, Anthony Milford, Kodi Nikorima, Joe Ofahengaue, Tom Opacic, Corey Parker, Sam Thaiday, Daniel Vidot, Aaron Whitchurch.


World Club Challenge
South Sydney Rabbitohs v St Helens
Langtree Park, St Helens
6.00am (AEDT) February 23 (February 22 UK time)

RABBITOHS (squad): George Burgess, Thomas Burgess, Jason Clark, Bryson Goodwin, Tim Grant, Chris Grevsmuhl, Greg Inglis (c), Alex Johnston, Luke Keary, Ben Lowe, Issac Luke, Cameron McInnes, Chris McQueen, Daryl Millard, Joel Reddy, Adam Reynolds, Glenn Stewart, John Sutton, David Tyrrell, Dylan Walker.

http://www.nrl.com/world-club-series...5/default.aspx

[DIEHARD]

Brisbane arrive for Warriors clash

[TITAN PETE]

Brisbane arrive for Warriors clash

"The Hypes been Amazing back home" , maybe Alex Glenn is talking about his own loungeroom

- - - Updated - - -

St Helens on verge of WCC history
By Joe Barton
AAP
6:00am Fri 20th February, 2015


Despite everything former St Helens and Wales great Keiron Cunningham achieved in his career, one thing stands out.

Or perhaps that's two things.

"I've won a lot of trophies in my career, but for me, my best memories were playing against that Brisbane side twice," the five-time Super League winner told AAP of his encounters with the champion Broncos outfit in 2001 and 2007.

"Coming up against that team of absolute superstars, and beating them twice, that's what I remember above everything else."

Cunningham, who played a staggering 496 games for St Helens, is now in charge of the club as they bid to join an elite group of World Club Challenge winners.

Leeds, Bradford, Wigan and the Sydney Roosters are the only teams to have lifted the trophy on three occasions - a group Cunningham is desperate for his young squad to join.

Despite being just two games into his coaching career, having taken over from Australian Nathan Brown following last year's Super League grand final victory, Cunningham is well prepared for this particular challenge.

He knows what it's like to come face to face with icons of the game and beat them.

The Brisbane teams who went down to Cunningham's gutsy sides read like a who's who of Australian rugby league: Darren Lockyer, Shane Webcke, Justin Hodges, Petero Civoniceva, Gorden Tallis and Lote Tuqiri among the players in them.

That's the task facing his young squad, who will take on a talent-laden South Sydney squad led by two of the game's most damaging ballrunners in Greg Inglis and George Burgess.

"There's no bigger challenge for a team of juniors than playing against some of their idols who they've watched in the NRL," he said.

"Inglis is a once-in-a-lifetime player, once in a generation, like your Andrew Johns or Darren Lockyers."

However, one thing already hasn't quite gone to plan for Cunningham - unseasonably warm weather.

While the highs of seven degrees might not be warm enough for Inglis and his teammates to strut around in their shorts, Cunningham is cursing Mother Nature for taking away one of the great advantages of northern hemisphere teams against their southern rivals at this time of year.

"I was hoping for hail, rain, snow, a few locusts and even the plague would be good," he said.

"But we've not quite got it."