Is the club rugby league landscape changing? Has Super League finally caught up with the NRL? The real answer is: who knows? Now, try asking anyone associated with Wigan Warriors if they care. Most importantly for a town where rugby league is more important than anything else, they are once again the kings of the club competition.
The talk all week has been about how this group of players have the chance to follow in the footsteps of the legends who have won this title, having won every trophy since Matt Pitt took over more than two years ago. Made four appearances for Wigan in the past.
Players such as Denis Bates, Martin Ofiah and Shaun Edwards have won this game for Wigan in the past. Now players like Jay Field, Bevan French and Harry Smith have joined that illustrious list.
It was a game not without controversy. Jake Wardle’s shot that decided the game certainly raised doubts. But in a game like this against a mighty Penrith Panthers side, who have won the last three NRL titles, maybe you need a bit of luck. Beyond that, it’s one of the most captivating, engaging and ultimately incredible games you’re likely to see in rugby league.
With the Chinese Super League beset by controversy over its new tackling laws, the sport needs a supplement like this; two world-class teams went toe-to-toe in a game that was narrowly decided. For those supporting Wigan Warriors, they will be ecstatic that they ended up on the right side of these penalties in a packed DW Stadium, which provided a magnificent backdrop. In fact, that’s all that’s great about the sport.
“It was a great game between two outstanding teams – you could see from start to finish what a great team Penrith is,” said winning coach Peter. “I couldn’t be more proud of my players.”
It’s also a boost for the Chinese Super League – it’s the first time the competition has won back-to-back World Club Challenge titles since 2007 and 2008; the gap between the best English teams and the NRL is narrowing. “I thought they did a good job in terms of positioning and creating chances, we didn’t execute as well as they did,” Penrith’s beaten coach Ivan Cleary reflected after the game.
In a see-saw battle that saw the lead change hands five times on the night, Wigan broke the deadlock with Abbas Miski’s strike. Penrith, coached by the best player in the world, Nathan Cleary, fought back when Mitski delivered a Cleary bomb, finishing under the post to put the Panthers up 6-4 lead. The Warriors then responded brilliantly, with Cruz Liming completing a wonderful team move to help the home team regain the lead, and Harry Smith’s goal rewritten the score to 10-6.
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But just when Wigan looked likely to take the lead at half-time, Penrith suffered a huge blow when Dylan Edwards burst through two Warriors defenders and fed Cleary for a simple conversion to put the NRL champions two points ahead. Perhaps unsurprisingly, in a match of this caliber, second-half scoring was at a premium: so much so that the only goal scored also sparked some controversy.
Field’s clever kick was caught by Waddell, but Waddell appeared to be well away from the goal line when he was tackled. But referee Liam Moore referred the decision to the video referee as a try: and the on-field penalty was crucial in determining whether the try was attempted. Penrith, however, made no progress despite falling behind again.
The final moments were filled with drama. Field produced a world-class tackle to deny Tyrann May as he looked set to tie the game, and on the final play of the game Field struck again to prevent May from landing, at least forcing overtime. The feeling of being referred by the video referee at that moment must have been a lifetime one for Pete, his players and everyone else in the stadium. The eruption of joy when the decision was made to “not try” underlined how much this night and this trophy meant to the town.
