I think the exact same thing every year after watching the WCC; if that was ten games into their season (rather than it being the first, or sometimes second, game in their pre-season like it is every year) our teams would be lucky if they scored even one try against the Aussie teams.

Wigan made a fairly good show of themselves today, they were aggressive as they could be and did some good things but were a whole level below a Sydney side who's last game as a team was the Grand Final back in October. Over the Winter, since the end of the World Cup, Syndey hadn't put their kit on once, Wigan have had three games (one being a competitive SL game) and a 'mock'-game yet Sydney looked the sharper fitter and stronger side. As I say, imagine that ten games into the season.

We've had some teams from this country win the WCC, but even Jamie Peacock himself said that before about five years ago that was because the Aussie teams didn't take it seriously at all and it was just a five day holiday in England as part of pre-season for them. Now the Aussies do take it seriously but it's still their pre-season and that's usually the reason an English side wins the comp.

The biggest thing I took from that game, as I do every year, is that if Leeds Wigan Warrington Salford Hull Saints Huddersfield and Catalan can afford it then we need to extend our salary cap in this competition.

One thing I did notice is NRL refs don't just ignore forward passes.. Unlike SL refs.
And NRL refs don't put with messing around at the play the ball.. Unlike Super League refs..

If you watched how Carl Ablett was a serial offender at slowing the play the ball down last night which Thaler allowed to happen... That sort of thing is stamped down on in the NRL.

Wonder if we would have beaten the Roosters if we'd won at OT last year.

More to the point I wonder if we will beat Wigan this season?

We'd have been embarrassed this morning if that had been us.

we would have been thrashed by that roosters side.

Werent Warrington the last SL team to go over and beat an NRL team in a game ? (dont mentioned the details but) the scoreline definitely said SSR 28 Wolves 34

Apart from Wigan last week you mean?

Did they? Oh well done then.

The roosters are a very, very good team and they'll dish out a few hidings to aussie clubs this year so I thought Wigan did pretty well after the first 20 mins.

What I will say is during that opening period when they went 18-0 down Wigan were starting into the abyss at a wholesale slaughter. However, none of their players went missing, they all rolled their sleeves up, showed some bottle and clawed their way back into it, in fact at the start of the 2nd half they were on top.

Plenty of the current Warrington team are the equal of their Wigan counterparts in terms of skill but, based on the last two weeks, you have to question the whether the same can be said of desire, with a few notable exceptions.

as far as I'm aware, until last week, we were the only SL team to beat an NRL in Aus.

What about Wigan beating Brisbane at Lang Park (pre-SL admittedly)? Made all the more notable that Billy McGinty played prop for a spell, and made rather a good fist of it. For younger viewers, that's like Chris Riley playing prop.

Your too clever morrisseyisawire.
I was hoping one on the pie or Saints fans would have bitten.

I was keen to inc SL. And I recon it was the case that then only wire had done such a feat.

Wigan vs Canterbury in the 97 World Club Challenge series? We won Home & Away against them.

Wigan wasn't a SL club in 97.

Congratulations guys and gals. 35 replies to this topic on here, 13 on Saints' board and yet to open the scoring on Leeds'. You're now officially the most obsessed fans in SL. Enjoy!

"Zip it shrimpy and eat your Snicker. Your turning into a right diva"

I'm glad it wasn't us paint that SSR team. They'd have run a muck.

Wigan didn't look out of place.

when did super league start?

Don't worry he's our resident...'Jester', I could have said worse I suppose.

Were into SL xiv

Who's the bigger jester.
The jester or the jester who follows him.

RL fans talking about an RL game on Tv... Imagine that??

The first superleague season wad in 1996.

SL started in 96 but the first grand final was 98, maybe that's what RD is getting mixed up with.

I wouldn't worry about Rubber Duckie getting mixed up, its a common occurrence - He gets mixed up, just dressing in a morning.