Wigan are back as the kings of British and European rugby league – and now they want a piece of Penrith in a bid to call themselves world champions.
After winning the Super League grand final with victory over French side the Catalans Dragons at Old Trafford on Saturday night, the club that prided themselves on being the best in the global game in the late 1980s and through the 1990s want to create a new dominant dynasty.
Part of that would be to become World Club Challenge champions by beating the NRL premiers, just as they’ve done on four previous occasions – a tally only bettered by the Sydney Roosters’ five world titles.
Should Penrith, fresh from completing their NRL three-peat, want revenge over the Super League’s best after the rude shock of losing to St Helens at home in the most-recent World Club Challenge in February, Wigan are happy to oblige them.
“We want to go there,” said Wigan coach Matt Peet after his side beat the Dragons 10-2 to earn Wigan’s sixth Super League crown, and their first in five years.
“We’re looking forward to it, it would be an honour. I know the club would like to go there.
“It’s an exciting thing for next year, for the future. We can start to think about that, maybe come Tuesday.”
Of the Panthers, he added: “We’ve got massive respect for them as an organisation.
“This club has a great history playing in that competition, and it’s where we should be.”
Peet’s not worried whether the next game is played in Australia or back in Britain following Saints’ 13-12 victory in golden-point extra time at Penrith’s BlueBet Stadium in February.
That made St Helens the first British side to win the game on Australian soil in 29 years.
“We’ll play anywhere. I’ll let those higher up in the club than me sort all that out. We’ll make sure we’re ready to play,” Peet said.
If the match comes off, it would be a repeat of the 1991 final at Liverpool FC’s Anfield home, when a star-studded Wigan featuring Frank Botica, Shaun Edwards and Joe Lydon beat Phil Gould’s Panthers 21-4.
The world title remains the one piece of silverware Penrith have never won, losing each of their three appearances in the Challenge, and coach Ivan Cleary has already suggested that’s something he wants to put right.
“It would be awesome to get another crack at it,” Cleary told AAP after their epic grand final win over Brisbane earlier this month.
“”We were pretty bummed about that one (losing to St Helens).
“We absolutely gave it our best, it was the first game of the year and St Helens were too good for us that night.
