2008 World Club Challenge

The 2008 Carnegie World Club Challenge was contested between Super League XII champions, the Leeds Rhinos and National Rugby League season 2007 premiers, the Melbourne Storm. For the fifth consecutive year the English home team defeated their Australian counterparts.

Qualification

Leeds Rhinos

Leeds Rhinos qualified through being the 2007 Super League champions, defeating St. Helens 33 - 6 in the Grand Final.

Melbourne Storm

Melbourne Storm clinched the 2007 National Rugby League title in a 34 - 8 belting of Manly, earning them a place in the World Club Challenge.

Melbourne played a warm-up game against National League One team Halifax.

Teams

Match details

The match was played in wintry conditions on Friday evening, 29 February, four rounds into the 2008 Super League competition and one week before the start of NRL season 2008.

33,204 spectators turned out at Elland Road, in Leeds for a hard-fought, low-scoring match in which each side scored a try apiece, with Leeds ultimately coming out winners, due largely to the kicking of Kevin Sinfield. The win meant the English champions side defeated their Australian counterparts for the fifth consecutive year. Many experts blamed the result happened due to Melbourne Storm's loss of many key players which were: Cameron Smith (Captain, Hooker, Australian Test Player), Greg Inglis (Five-Eighth/Centre, Australian Test Player), Matt King (Centre/Wing, Australian Test Player), Ben Cross (Prop, State of Origin NSW Player) and Michael Crocker (Second-row Australian Test Player)

2010 WCC

2010 WCC may refer to:

2006 World Club Challenge

The 2006 World Club Challenge was a Rugby League match held on Friday, 3 February, 2006, at Galpharm Stadium, Huddersfield, UK. The game was contested by Bradford Bulls and Wests Tigers.

Qualification

Bradford Bulls

Bradford Bulls qualified for the Challenge after being crowned the 2005 Super League champions, defeating their local rivals Leeds Rhinos 15 - 6 at Old Trafford. This Grand Final win avenged a defeat to the same team in the title decider the year before.

Wests Tigers

Wests Tigers clinched the 2005 National Rugby League title in a 30 - 16 defeat of North Queensland Cowboys to earn a place in the World Club Challenge. The Tigers had reached the Grand Final for the first time since their formation five years earlier following a merger of Balmain Tigers and Western Suburbs.

Teams

The Tigers were without six of their 2005 NRL grand final-winning team: star stand-off half back Benji Marshall had undergone shoulder surgery in the off season; winger Pat Richards and forward Mark O'Neill had signed to play with other clubs, and Dene Halatau, Todd Payten and Shane Elford were also absent.