Roosters aiming for record fourth World Club Challenge win

Sydney Roosters will be aiming to lay claim to being the game's most dominant club by equalling Wigan's record for World Club Challenge wins when the NRL premiers meet the Super League champions at DW Stadium on February 17.

The Roosters were the inaugural WCC winners when they beat St Helens 25-2 at the SCG in 1976 and also downed Saints 38-0 in 2003 at Bolton before Trent Robinson oversaw their 36-14 defeat of Wigan at Allianz Stadium in 2014.

A further victory against the Adrian Lam-coached Warriors next year would surpass Melbourne's three WCC wins, although the Storm were stripped of their 2010 title after being found guilty of salary cap breaches.

Brisbane is the only other NRL club to have won the World Club Challenge more than once, beating Wigan 22-8 in 1992 and the Hunter Mariners 36-12 in 1997, although the latter final was played during the Super League war when teams from the rival ARL competition were excluded.

Wigan are the most successful club in the history of the WCC, having won four of the seven finals they have contested, including their famous 20-14 defeat of the Broncos before a 54,220 crowd in Brisbane in 1994.

The Warriors also beat Manly 8-2 at Central Park in 1987, Penrith 21-4 at Anfield in 1991 and Cronulla 22-6 at DW Stadium in 2017.  

That was the only British victory in the last six years, with the Storm recapturing the title for NRL clubs by beating Leeds Rhinos 38-4 in Melbourne at the start of the 2018 season.

"The World Club Challenge is a significant fixture on the rugby league calendar and we are very proud to be taking our club to England to compete against the Wigan Warriors for the 2019 World Club Challenge title," Roosters CEO Scott Bennetts said.

"Both clubs feature notably in the history of the tournament, and with the Roosters having hosted the 2014 World Club Challenge match at Sydney’s Allianz Stadium, we are looking forward to making the trip to Wigan."

Warriors chairman Ian Lenagan predicted the WCC would be a sell-out at DW Stadium.

"The World Club Challenge is a special competition for the Wigan club and with a game against Sydney Roosters we have two of rugby league’s most iconic institutions facing one another," Lenagan said.

"Seeing the cherry-and-white of Wigan up against the tri-colour of the Roosters in front of a packed stadium on a Sunday will be a great spectacle. With the calibre of players on show from both teams, it should be a great advert for our sport."