1997 World Club Championship

June 2020 August 2019 1997 World Club Championship World Club Challenge.JPG Trophy won by Brisbane Broncos 6 June 17 October 1997 22 Champions brisbane 16 Brisbane Broncos 2nd Hunter 16 Hunter Mariners 68 543,258 7,989 Penrith 16 Ryan Girdler (118 points) Brisbane 16 Steve Renouf (13) 1994 2000 The 1997 World Club Championship was an expansion of the World Club Challenge concept by Super League. The rugby competition was restructured to include all 22 clubs from the Australasian Super League and the Super League championships and was known as the Visa World Club Championship due to sponsorship. As it was contested over six rounds in two hemispheres, with 1 million prize money (GBP 640,000), the competition was prohibitively expensive to stage, with suggestions that it cost 6 million.Mascord Steve Gold Coast hunts the Mariners The Sydney Morning Herald John Fairfax Publications Pty Limited 17 October 1997 Sydney, New South Wales 45 This coupled with the poor ratings and attendances that were achieved both in Australia and Europe reportedly resulted in a loss over 5 million, and the World Club Challenge was not staged again for a number of years. No British teams progressed further than the quarter-finals, with two Australian teams reaching the final (played at the Ericsson Stadium in Auckland, New Zealand): the dominant Brisbane Broncos club and the ill-fated Hunter Mariners. Hadfield Dave The short but amazing life of Hunter Mariners The Independent independent.co.uk 1997-10-16 https://www.independent.co.uk/sport/rugby-league-the-short-but-amazing-life-of-hunter-mariners-1236216.html 2009-10-06 Format The competition was held during the second season of the European Super League competition and the inaugural season of the Australasian Super League season. Both competitions paused their competitions for the first three rounds in June, and again for the second round of matches in July-August. Teams in each competition were seeded into two pools to ensure that the leading teams would play each other.Wilson Andy Ambitious project means global dawning The Observer 1 June 1997 London, United Kingdom 52 The Australasian teams were split into a pool of six teams that contained the teams that had finished highly in the 1996 ARL season, and a pool of four teams that included the expansion Super League franchises Hunter Mariners and Adelaide Rams. The European Super League teams were split into two pools of six teams in order of the final positions of the clubs during the 1996 Super League season. Promoted club Salford Reds joined Pool B. With only four teams in the Australasian Pool B, the six European teams had two bye weekends. The competition saw five Australasian teams tour Europe for each set of three match weekends, with five European teams simultaneously touring Australasia. Following the completion of the pool matches, the top three teams from both of the competitions Pool A progressed to the quarter finals, with the winner of the Australasian Pool B. The winner of the European Pool B faced the fourth-placed team from Pool A in an elimination qualifier for a place in the quarter finals.Fitzpatrick Paul Show time in the world acid test The Guardian 6 June 1997 London, United Kingdom B7 The playoffs took place after the completion of the respective Super League competitions. Credit card company Visa was announced as the competition sponsor just before the European launch of the championship at Huddersfield. The sponsorship was described as a "substantial investment to help offset the estimated 2 million operational costs."Visa invests in world club championship The Times 5 June 1997 London, United Kingdom 47 Pool stage tables The Australasian and European teams were each divided into two pools for the 1997 World Club Challenge. Each pool had six teams, with the exception of Australasia B, which had the two lowest placed Super League-aligned teams and the two newly formed teams: the Hunter Mariners and the Adelaide Rams. The finals series was contested between the top three teams in Australasia Pool A and Europe Pool A, and the top team from Australasia Pool B and Europe Pool B. Super League (Australia and New Zealand) Pool A main WDL RLP points 2 1 0 Brisbane 16 Brisbane Broncos Auckland 16 Auckland Warriors Cronulla 16 Cronulla Sharks Penrith 16 Penrith Panthers Canberra 16 Canberra Raiders Canterbury 16 Canterbury Bulldogs complete 6 0 0 270 52 6 0 0 268 82 6 0 0 230 54 6 0 0 256 120 5 0 1 302 108 4 0 2 218 121 BRI AUK CRO PEN CAN CBY 1) Points; 2) Point difference; 3) Points scored. Q QF QF QF green1 Advance to Quarter-finals Pool B main WDL RLP points 2 1 0 Hunter 16 Hunter Mariners North Queensland 16 North Queensland Cowboys Adelaide 16 Adelaide Rams Perth Reds 16 Perth Reds complete 6 0 0 226 50 5 0 1 228 92 4 0 2 170 68 4 0 2 148 104 HUN NQL ADE PER 1) Points; 2) Point difference; 3) Points scored. Q QF green1 Advance to Quarter-finals Super League (Great Britain and France) Pool A main WDL RLP points 2 1 0 Wigan 16 Wigan Warriors London 16 London Broncos Bradford 16 Bradford Bulls St Helens 16 St Helens Warrington 16 Warrington Wolves Halifax 16 Halifax Blue Sox complete 2 0 4 89 212 1 0 5 136 238 0 0 6 82 228 0 0 6 96 270 0 0 6 78 256 0 0 6 56 340 WIG LON BRA STH WAR HAL 1) Points; 2) Point difference; 3) Points scored. Q QF QF QF EF green1 Advance to Quarter-finals yellow1 Advance to Elimination final Pool B main WDL RLP points 2 1 0 psg 16 Paris Saint-Germain Leeds 16 Leeds Rhinos Oldham 16 Oldham Bears Salford City 16 Salford City Reds Sheffield 16 Sheffield Eagles Castleford 16 Castleford Tigers complete 1 0 3 48 90 1 0 3 94 138 1 0 3 52 130 1 0 3 44 130 1 0 3 54 168 0 0 4 52 116 PAR LEE OLD SAL SHE CAS 1) Points; 2) Point difference; 3) Points scored. Q EF yellow1 Advance to Elimination final Results Round 1 June 6–9 HomeScoreAwayMatch informationDay & Time (local)VenueRefereeAttendanceBrisbane 16 Brisbane Broncos42 – 22London 16 London BroncosFriday 6 June, 7:30pmANZ Stadium, BrisbaneBill Harrigan18,193St Helens 16 St. Helens14 – 42Auckland 16 Auckland WarriorsFriday 6 June, 7:30pmKnowsley Road, St. HelensStuart Cummings8,911North Queensland 16 North Queensland Cowboys42 – 20Leeds 16 Leeds RhinosSaturday 7 June, 7:30pmStockland Stadium, TownsvilleSteve Clark14,561Adelaide 16 Adelaide Rams50 – 8Salford City 16 Salford RedsSunday 8 June, 2:00pmAdelaide Oval, AdelaideTim Mander11,346Canberra 16 Canberra Raiders70 – 6Halifax 16 Halifax Blue SoxSunday 8 June, 2:30pmBruce Stadium, CanberraBrian Grant7,780psg 16 Paris St-Germain12 – 28Hunter 16 Hunter MarinersSunday 8 June, 3:00pmCharlety Stadium, ParisSteve Presley3,500Castleford 16 Castleford Tigers16 – 24Perth Reds 16 Perth RedsSunday 8 June, 3:30pmWheldon Road, CastlefordRobert Connolly3,590Warrington 16 Warrington Wolves12 – 40Cronulla 16 Cronulla SharksSunday 8 June, 6:35pmWilderspool Stadium, WarringtonRussell Smith3,378Canterbury 16 Canterbury Bulldogs18 – 22Wigan 16 Wigan WarriorsMonday 9 June, 7:30pmBelmore Sports Ground, SydneyGraham Annesley10,680Bradford 16 Bradford Bulls16 – 20Penrith 16 Penrith PanthersMonday 9 June, 7:45pmOdsal Stadium, BradfordDavid Campbell14,378Byes: Sheffield 16 Sheffield Eagles, Oldham 16 Oldham BearsReferences: RLP World Club Championship - Fixtures Sunday Mirror 1 June 1997 London, United Kingdom 69 Round 2 June 13–16 HomeScoreAwayMatch informationDay & Time (local)VenueRefereeAttendanceAdelaide 16 Adelaide Rams34 – 8Leeds 16 Leeds RhinosFriday 13 June, 8:00pmAdelaide Oval, AdelaideSteve Clarke14,630Castleford 16 Castleford Tigers12 – 42Hunter 16 Hunter MarinersFriday 13 June, 7:30pmWheldon Road, CastlefordStuart Cummings3,087North Queensland 16 North Queensland Cowboys54 – 16Oldham 16 Oldham BearsSaturday 14 June, 7:30pmStockland Stadium, TownsvilleGraham Annesley12,631Bradford 16 Bradford Bulls16 – 20Auckland 16 Auckland WarriorsSaturday 14 June, 6:00pmOdsal Stadium, BradfordRussell Smith13,133Canberra 16 Canberra Raiders66 – 20London 16 London BroncosSunday 15 June, 2:30pmBruce Stadium, CanberraTim Mander6,471Canterbury 16 Canterbury Bulldogs58 – 6Halifax 16 Halifax Blue SoxSunday 15 June, 2:30pmBelmore Sports Ground, SydneyBrian Grant5,034Warrington 16 Warrington Wolves22 – 52Penrith 16 Penrith PanthersSunday 15 June, 3:00pmWilderspool Stadium, WarringtonRobert Connolly3,850Sheffield 16 Sheffield Eagles26 – 22Perth Reds 16 Perth RedsSunday 15 June, 6:35pmDon Valley Stadium, SheffieldJohn Connolly2,065Brisbane 16 Brisbane Broncos34 – 0Wigan 16 Wigan WarriorsMonday 16 June, 7:30pmANZ Stadium, BrisbaneBill Harrigan14,833St Helens 16 St Helens8 – 48Cronulla 16 Cronulla SharksMonday 16 June, 7:45pmKnowsley Road, St HelensDavid Campbell8,039Byes: psg 16 Paris St-Germain, Salford City 16 Salford RedsReferences: RLP Round 3 June 20–23 HomeScoreAwayMatch informationDay & Time (local)VenueRefereeAttendanceAdelaide 16 Adelaide Rams42 – 14Oldham 16 Oldham BearsFriday 20 June, 8:00pmAdelaide Oval, AdelaideGraham Annesley13,852Sheffield 16 Sheffield Eagles4 – 40Hunter 16 Hunter MarinersFriday 20 June, 7:30pmDon Valley Stadium, SheffieldRussell Smith2,350Bradford 16 Bradford Bulls10 – 30Cronulla 16 Cronulla SharksFriday 20 June, 7:30pmOdsal Stadium, BradfordStuart Cummings10,756North Queensland 16 North Queensland Cowboys44 – 8Salford City 16 Salford RedsSaturday 21 June, 7:30pmStockland Stadium, TownsvilleBrian Grant15,508psg 16 Paris St-Germain24 – 0Perth Reds 16 Perth RedsSaturday 21 June, 7:00pmCharlety Stadium, ParisDavid Campbell3,500Brisbane 16 Brisbane Broncos76 – 0Halifax 16 Halifax Blue SoxSunday 22 June, 2:30pmANZ Stadium, BrisbaneTim Mander11,358Canberra 16 Canberra Raiders56 – 22Wigan 16 Wigan WarriorsSunday 22 June, 2:30pmBruce Stadium, CanberraSteve Clark9,098St Helens 16 St Helens30 – 50Penrith 16 Penrith PanthersSunday 22 June, 6:35pmKnowsley Road, St HelensJohn Connolly6,671Canterbury 16 Canterbury Bulldogs34 – 18London 16 London BroncosMonday 23 June, 7:30pmBelmore Sports Ground, SydneyBill Harrigan7,272Warrington 16 Warrington Wolves28 – 56Auckland 16 Auckland WarriorsMonday 23 June, 7:45pmWilderspool Stadium, WarringtonSteve Presley4,428Byes: Castleford 16 Castleford Tigers, Leeds 16 Leeds RhinosReferences: RLP Round 4 July 18–21 HomeScoreAwayMatch informationDay & Time (local)VenueRefereeAttendancePenrith 16 Penrith Panthers48 – 12Warrington 16 Warrington WolvesFriday 18 July, 7:30pmPenrith Football Stadium, PenrithBrian Grant5,642Oldham 16 Oldham Bears20 – 16North Queensland 16 North Queensland CowboysFriday 18 July, 7:30pmBoundary Park, OldhamRobert Connolly2,961Leeds 16 Leeds Rhinos22 – 14Adelaide 16 Adelaide RamsFriday 18 July, 7:30pmHeadingley Rugby Stadium, LeedsRussell Smith11,269Perth Reds 16 Perth Reds48 – 12Sheffield 16 Sheffield EaglesSaturday 19 July, 7:30pmWACA Ground, PerthSteve Clark7,429Auckland 16 Auckland Warriors76 – 0Bradford 16 Bradford BullsSunday 20 July, 2:30pmEricsson Stadium, AucklandBill Harrigan12,500Hunter 16 Hunter Mariners26 – 8Castleford 16 Castleford TigersSunday 20 July, 2:30pmTopper Stadium, NewcastleTim Mander3,379Halifax 16 Halifax Blue Sox22 – 40Canterbury 16 Canterbury BulldogsSunday 20 July, 3:00pmThrum Hall, HalifaxSteve Presley3,300Wigan 16 Wigan Warriors4 – 30Brisbane 16 Brisbane BroncosSunday 20 July, 6:35pmCentral Park, WiganStuart Cummings13,476Cronulla 16 Cronulla Sharks28 – 12St Helens 16 St. HelensMonday 21 July, 7:30pmShark Park, SydneyGraham Annesley7,721London 16 London Broncos38 – 18Canberra 16 Canberra RaidersMonday 21 July, 7:30pmThe Stoop, LondonJohn Connolly7,819Byes: psg 16 Paris St-Germain, Salford City 16 Salford RedsReferences: RLP Round 5 July 25–28 HomeScoreAwayMatch informationDay & Time (local)VenueRefereeAttendanceAuckland 16 Auckland Warriors70 – 6St Helens 16 St. HelensFriday 25 July, 7:30pmEricsson Stadium, AucklandSteve Clark18,354Oldham 16 Oldham Bears2 – 18Adelaide 16 Adelaide RamsFriday 25 July, 7:30pmBoundary Park, OldhamJohn Connolly3,315Cronulla 16 Cronulla Sharks44 – 0Warrington 16 Warrington WolvesSaturday 26 July, 7:30pmShark Park, SydneyTim Mander6,112Hunter 16 Hunter Mariners32 – 0psg 16 Paris St-GermainSunday 27 July, 2:30pmTopper Stadium, NewcastleGraham Annesley2,210Perth Reds 16 Perth Reds24 – 14Castleford 16 Castleford TigersSunday 27 July, 2:30pmWACA Ground, PerthBrian Grant12,500Halifax 16 Halifax Blue Sox12 – 42Canberra 16 Canberra RaidersSunday 27 July, 3:00pmThrum Hall, HalifaxRobert Connolly3,620Salford City 16 Salford City Reds14 – 24North Queensland 16 North Queensland CowboysSunday 27 July, 3:00pmThe Willows, SalfordSteve Presley7,448London 16 London Broncos16 – 34Brisbane 16 Brisbane BroncosSunday 27 July, 6:35pmThe Stoop, LondonStuart Cummings9,846Penrith 16 Penrith Panthers54 – 14Bradford 16 Bradford BullsMonday 28 July, 7:30pmPenrith Football Stadium, PenrithBill Harrigan5,336Wigan 16 Wigan Warriors31 – 24Canterbury 16 Canterbury BulldogsMonday 28 July, 7:45pmCentral Park, WiganRussell Smith10,280Byes: Leeds 16 Leeds Rhinos, Sheffield 16 Sheffield EaglesReferences: RLP Round 6 August 1–4 HomeScoreAwayMatch informationDay & Time (local)VenueRefereeAttendancePerth Reds 16 Perth Reds18 – 8psg 16 Paris St-GermainFriday 1 August, 6:30pmWACA Ground, PerthTim Mander5,690London 16 London Broncos22 – 44Canterbury 16 Canterbury BulldogsFriday 1 August, 7:30pmThe Stoop, LondonJohn Connolly6,923Cronulla 16 Cronulla Sharks40 – 12Bradford 16 Bradford BullsSaturday 2 August, 7:30pmShark Park, SydneyBrian Grant8,272Auckland 16 Auckland Warriors16 – 4Warrington 16 Warrington WolvesSunday 3 August, 2:30pmLancaster Park, ChristchurchGraham Annesley5,500Hunter 16 Hunter Mariners58 – 12Castleford 16 Castleford TigersSunday 3 August, 2:30pmTopper Stadium, NewcastleSteve Clark1,965Wigan 16 Wigan Warriors12 – 50Canberra 16 Canberra RaidersSunday 3 August, 3:00pmCentral Park, WiganSteve Presley12,504Salford City 16 Salford City Reds14 – 12Adelaide 16 Adelaide RamsSunday 3 August, 6:35pmThe Willows, SalfordStuart Cummings6,995Leeds 16 Leeds Rhinos14 – 48North Queensland 16 North Queensland CowboysSunday 3 August, 8:00pmHeadingley Rugby Stadium, LeedsRussell Smith12,224Penrith 16 Penrith Panthers32 – 26St Helens 16 St. HelensMonday 4 August, 7:30pmPenrith Football Stadium, PenrithBill Harrigan5,303Halifax 16 Halifax Blue Sox10 – 54Brisbane 16 Brisbane BroncosMonday 4 August, 7:45pmThrum Hall, HalifaxRobert Connolly3,255Byes: Castleford 16 Castleford Tigers, Oldham 16 Oldham BearsReferences: RLP Playoffs Bracket y high Elimination qualifier Quarter-finals Semi finals Final St Helens 16 St. Helens 42 psg 16 Paris St-Germain 4 Brisbane 16 Brisbane Broncos 66 St Helens 16 St. Helens 12 Auckland 16 Auckland Warriors 62 Bradford 16 Bradford Bulls 14 Wigan 16 Wigan Warriors 18 Hunter 16 Hunter Mariners 22 London Broncos 16 London Broncos 16 Cronulla 16 Cronulla Sharks 40 Brisbane 16 Brisbane Broncos 22 Auckland 16 Auckland Warriors 16 Cronulla 16 Cronulla Sharks 18 Hunter 16 Hunter Mariners 22 Brisbane 16 Brisbane Broncos 36 Hunter 16 Hunter Mariners 12 Elimination qualifier f5faff Wednesday, 13 August 7:45 pm St. Helens St Helens 16 42 4 psg 16 Paris St-Germain Knowsley Road, St. Helens 3,641 Russell Smith Quarter-finals f5faff Friday, 3 October Auckland Warriors Auckland 16 62 14 Bradford 16 Bradford Bulls Ericsson Stadium, Auckland 12,063 Bill Harrigan f5faff Friday, 3 October Wigan Warriors Wigan 16 18 22 Hunter 16 Hunter Mariners Central Park, Wigan 9,553 Russell Smith f5faff Saturday, 4 October Brisbane Broncos Brisbane 16 66 12 St Helens 16 St. Helens ANZ Stadium, Brisbane 6,438 Steve Clark f5faff Saturday, 4 October London Broncos London 16 16 40 Cronulla 16 Cronulla Sharks The Stoop, London 6,239 Stuart Cummings Semi-finals f5faff Friday, 10 October 19:30 AEST (UTC+10) Brisbane Broncos Brisbane 16 Walker (2)Tallis Walters Walker (3) 22 16 1010 126 Report Auckland 16 Auckland Warriors Oudenryn (2)Endacott Ridge (2) ANZ Stadium, Brisbane 9,686 Graham Annesley f5faff Saturday, 11 October 19:30 AEST (UTC+10) Cronulla Sharks Cronulla 16 Ettingshausen Richardson Rogers Rogers (3) 18 22 1212 610 Report Hunter 16 Hunter Mariners Kimmorley (2)Doherty Zisti K Iro (2)Swain (1) Shark Park, Sydney 5,214 Bill Harrigan Final 1997 World Club Championship final EricssonStadium00.jpg 250px Mount Smart Stadium hosted the match Brisbane Broncos Hunter Mariners SL AUS SL AUS BRI Brisbane Broncos 16 HUN Hunter Mariners 16 26 10 36 4 8 12 18 October 1997 Mount Smart Stadium Auckland, New Zealand Graham Annesley AUS 10,300 AUS Fox Sports / Nine Network GBR Sky Sports Warren Boland Brent Todd Peter Mulholland World Club Challenge 1994 2000 In their only year of existence, this would be the only final that the Hunter Mariners would appear in. Three tries in 12 minutes from Brisbane Broncos centre Darren Smith put the Broncos in a strong position in the first half to lead 260 inside 30 minutes, with the Hunter Mariners only score a try to Nick Zisti just before the break.Rugby League: World Club C'ship: Broncos on top of the world Brisbane Broncos 36 Hunter Mariners 12 The Guardian 18 October 1997 London, United Kingdom 10:1 After the interval, the Mariners came close to scoring, but were denied twice by the video referee. John Carlaw and Zisti would score tries to reduce the margin to 14 points,Mascord Steve In-limbo Mariners fall gamely to Broncos Sydney Morning Herald John Fairfax Publications Pty Limited 18 October 1997 Sydney, New South Wales 64Hadfield Dave Rugby League: World Club Championship Final - Broncos' early burst leaves Mariners marooned The Independent 18 October 1997 London, United Kingdom 23 but two late tries to the Broncos through Wendell Sailor and Steve Renouf gave the Brisbane side a dominant victory. The Broncos collected 1 million for winning the competition, with the Mariners collecting 500,000 which the club split 50-50 with the players.Drzyzga Ben Broncos burst Mariners' bubble Newcastle Herald Newcastle Newspapers Pty Limited 18 October 1997 Newcastle, New South Wales 22 Teams _goldborder _BrisbaneBroncos1997 _goldborder _band_claret FFFFFF FFFFFF FFFFFF 800000 FFD700 Brisbane Broncos _SLMariners _SLMariners _SLMariners _color_3_stripes_yellow FFFF00 FFFF00 FFFF00 1F75FE 1F75FE Hunter Mariners FB 1Darren LockyerRW 18Michael De VereRC 13Darren SmithLC 4Steve RenoufLW 5Wendell SailorFE 6Kevin WaltersHB 7Allan Langer (c)PR 21Shane WebckeHK 9John PlathPR 23Andrew GeeSR 11Gorden TallisSR 10Brad ThornLK 12Peter RyanSubstitutions:IC 14Ben WalkerIC 2Michael HancockIC 15Tonie CarrollIC 33Phillip LeeCoach:AUS Wayne Bennett FB 1Robbie RossRW 3Nick ZistiLC 6Brad GoddenRC 4Kevin IroLW 5John CarlawFE 21Scott HillHB 20Brett KimmorleyPR 31Anthony BrannHK 9Robbie McCormack (c)PR 14Troy StoneSR 16Darrien DohertySR 12Paul MarquetLK 55Tyran SmithSubstitutions:IC 2Keith BeauchampIC 10Tim MaddisonIC 11Tony IroIC 18Richard SwainCoach:AUS Graham Murray Match details #eeeeee Friday, 17 October 19:30 NZST (UTC+12) 1997 World Club Challenge Final Brisbane Broncos Brisbane 16 Hunter 16 Hunter Mariners 36 – 12 264 108 1997 WCC Final - Brisbane vs Hunter 7 D Smith 18 24 28 Walters 4Plath 12 Sailor 74Renouf 79 4 De Vere 5 13 29 (3/5) Walker 75 (1/2) 3 Zisti 35 64 Carlaw 53 0 K Iro (0/2)Swain (0/1) Ericsson Stadium, Auckland 10,300 Graham Annesley AUS Aftermath The dominance of the Australasian sides in the competition led to the Rugby Football League appointing Joe Lydon to head a commission to provide an explanation. Robinson John Super League Official Annual 1998 World International 1997 42 0-7498-3389-0 The general conclusion was that the Australian sides were no more skillful than the European teams, the main difference as it had been in international football since the late 1970s, was fitness, something that they were working on by the time of the season ending Super League Test series between the Super League Australians and the Great Britain Lions in England in November. See also World Club Challenge Super League (Australia) season 1997 Super League II Brisbane Broncos 1997 References External links Hadfield Dave Global show hits Knowsley Road June 6, 1997 The Independent 1997 World Club Challenge at hunterlink.net.au Hadfield Dave World Club Championship Final – Broncos' early burst October 18, 1997 The Independent 1997 World Club Challenge at superleague.co.uk 1997 World Club Challenge at Rugby League Project 1997 Category:Brisbane Broncos Category:1997 in English rugby league Category:1997 in New Zealand rugby league Category:1997 in Australian rugby league Category:1997 in French rugby league