View source for 1976 World Club Challenge

{{Use dmy dates|date=June 2020}}
{{Infobox rugby league football match
|year          = 1976
|title         = Unofficial World Club Challenge
|image         = File:Sydney Showground and Cricket Ground 1936 (14019783946).jpg <!-- Confirm logo -->
|imagesize     = 250px
|caption       = [[Sydney Cricket Ground]] hosted the match
|alt           = 
|home          = [[Sydney Roosters|Eastern Suburbs]]
|away          = [[St Helens R.F.C.|St. Helens]]
|home_league   = [[New South Wales Rugby League premiership|NSWRFL]]
|away_league   = [[Rugby League Premiership|RFL]]
|home_abbr     = EAS {{leagueicon|Eastern Suburbs|16}}
|away_abbr     = ST H {{leagueicon|St Helens|16}}
|home_half1    = 
|home_half2    = 
|home_total    = 25
|away_half1    = 
|away_half2    = 
|away_total    = 2
|date          = 29 June 1976
|stadium       = [[Sydney Cricket Ground]]
|location      = [[Moore Park, New South Wales|Moore Park]], [[Australia]]
|MoM_title     = [[Man of the Match]]
|MoM           = [[Royce Ayliffe]] {{leagueicon|Eastern Suburbs|16}}
|anthem_title  = 
|anthem        = 
|anthem2_title =
|anthem2       =
|referee       = [[Gary Cook]] {{flagicon|AUS}}
|attendance    = 26,856
|network       = [[ATN|ATN 7]] {{Flagicon|AUS}}
|network2      = <!-- {{Flagicon|United Kingdom}} Confirm broadcaster --> 
|commentators  = [[Rex Mossop]]
|commentators2 = Barry Ross
|commentators3 = 
|tournaments   = [[World Club Challenge]]
|last          = 
|next          = [[1987 World Club Challenge|1987]]
}}
The '''1976 World Club Challenge''' was an unofficial trial of what would later become the [[World Club Challenge]] concept, with the [[1975 NSWRFL season]]'s premiers, [[Eastern Suburbs Roosters|Eastern Suburbs]] hosting the [[1975–76 Northern Rugby Football League season]]'s [[Rugby League Premiership|Premiership]] and [[Challenge Cup]] winners [[St Helens R.F.C.|St. Helens]]. The one-off challenge match was played on 29 June, right in the middle of the [[1976 NSWRFL season]], at the [[Sydney Cricket Ground]] before a crowd of 26,856.<ref>[http://www.highbeam.com/doc/1P1-40337011.html HighBeam]{{dead link|date=February 2019|bot=medic}}{{cbignore|bot=medic}}</ref>

The next game of its kind would not be played until [[1987 World Club Challenge|1987]].

==Background==
The game was the first of its type, and was the last to be played in Australia until [[1994 World Club Challenge|1994]].

==Eastern Suburbs Roosters==
The Roosters, coached by [[Jack Gibson (rugby league)|Jack Gibson]] and captained by [[Australian Kangaroos|Australian]] international forward [[Arthur Beetson]], were the reigning Sydney premiers having won the [[NSWRL|NSWRFL]] Grand Finals in both [[1974 NSWRFL season|1974]] and 1975.{{fact|date=June 2020}}

==St Helens==
Saints were the reigning English champions, having won the title in [[1974–75 Northern Rugby Football League season|1974-75]]. Saints were coached by former [[Great Britain Lions|Great Britain]] captain [[Eric Ashton]] and captained by [[Welsh people|Welsh]] dual rugby international [[Kel Coslett]].{{fact|date=June 2020}}

==Teams==
{| width=92%
|-
|{{Football kit
 |pattern_la = 
 |pattern_b  = _easts
 |pattern_ra = 
 |pattern_sh = 
 |pattern_so = _red_midband_color
 |leftarm    = 000080
 |body       = 00008B
 |rightarm   = 000080
 |shorts     = FFFFFF
 |socks      = 00008B
 |title      = Eastern Suburbs
}}
|{{Football kit
 |pattern_la = _redborder
 |pattern_b  = _Vwidered
 |pattern_ra = _redborder
 |pattern_sh = 
 |pattern_so = _band_red
 |leftarm    = FFFFFF
 |body       = FFFFFF
 |rightarm   = FFFFFF
 |shorts     = FFFFFF
 |socks      = FFFFFF
 |title      = St Helens
}}
|}
{| width="100%"
|valign="top" width="50%"|
{| style="font-size: 90%" cellspacing="0" cellpadding="0"
|-
!width="25"| !!width="25"|
|-
|FB ||'''1'''||[[Russell Fairfax]]
|-
|LW ||'''2'''||[[Ian Schubert]]
|-
|CE ||'''3'''||[[Mark Harris (rugby league)|Mark Harris]]
|-
|CE ||'''4'''||[[John Brass]]
|-
|RW ||'''5'''||[[Bill Mullins]]
|-
|FE ||'''8'''||[[Trevor Barnes (rugby league)|Trevor Barnes]]
|-
|HB ||'''7'''||[[Kevin Stevens (rugby league)|Kevin Stevens]]
|-
|LK ||'''9'''||[[Barry Reilly]]
|-
|SR ||'''11'''||[[Arthur Beetson]] ([[Captain (sports)|c]])
|-
|SR ||'''16'''||[[Ian Mackay (rugby league)|Ian Mackay]]
|-
|PR ||'''13'''||[[Royce Ayliffe]]
|-
|HK ||'''12'''||[[Elwyn Walters]]
|-
|PR ||'''10'''||[[Kel Jones]]
|-
|colspan=3|'''Substitutions:'''
|-
|IC ||'''6'''||[[Robert Laurie (rugby league)|Robert Laurie]]
|-
|IC ||'''20'''||[[Johnny Mayes]]
|-
|IC ||'''21'''||[[Grant Hedger]]
|-
|IC ||'''14'''||[[Greg Townsend (rugby league)|Greg Townsend]]
|-
|colspan=3|'''Coach:'''
|-
|colspan="4"|{{flagicon|AUS}} [[Jack Gibson (rugby league)|Jack Gibson]]
|}
|valign="top" width="50%"|
{| style="font-size: 90%" cellspacing="0" cellpadding="0" align="center"
|-
!width="25"| !!width="25"|
|-
|FB ||'''1'''||[[Geoff Pimblett]]
|-
|RW ||'''2'''||[[Les Jones (rugby league, born 1948)|Les Jones]]
|-
|CE ||'''3'''||[[Eddie Cunningham]]
|-
|CE ||'''4'''||[[Derek Noonan]]
|-
|LW ||'''5'''||[[Roy Mathias]]
|-
|SO ||'''6'''||[[Billy Benyon]]
|-
|SH ||'''16'''||[[Kenneth Gwilliam]]
|-
|PR ||'''8'''||[[John Mantle (rugby)|John Mantle]]
|-
|HK ||'''9'''||[[Tony Karalius]]
|-
|PR ||'''10'''||[[Kel Coslett]] ([[Captain (sports)|c]])
|-
|SR ||'''11'''||[[Eric Chisnall]]
|-
|SR ||'''12'''||[[George Nicholls (rugby league)|George Nicholls]]
|-
|LF ||'''13'''||[[David Hull (rugby league)|David Hull]]
|-
|colspan=3|'''Substitutions:'''
|-
|IC ||'''14'''||[[Peter Glynn]]
|-
|IC ||'''15'''||[[Frank Wilson (rugby, born 1944)|Frank Wilson]]
|-
|IC ||'''7'''||[[Jeff Heaton]]
|-
|IC ||'''17'''||[[Mel James]]
|-
|colspan=3|'''Coach:'''
|-
|colspan="4"|{{flagicon|ENG}} [[Eric Ashton]]
|}
|}

==Match details==
{{rugbyleaguebox |
bg = #eeeeee |
date = 29 June 1976 |
score = 25 &ndash; 2|
report = |
team1 = [[Eastern Suburbs Roosters]] {{leagueicon|Sydney|16}} |
team2 = {{leagueicon|St Helens|16}} [[St Helens R.F.C.|St. Helens]] |
points1 = '''Tries:''' <br> [[Russell Fairfax]] <br> [[Kevin Stevens (rugby league)|Kevin Stevens]] <br> [[Royce Ayliffe]] <br> [[Ian Schubert]] <br> [[Greg Townsend (rugby league)|Greg Townsend]] <br>'''Goals:''' <br> [[John Brass]] (5) |
points2 = '''Tries:''' <br><br><br><br><br><br> '''Goals:''' <br> [[Geoff Pimblett|Pimblett]] (1) |
stadium = [[Sydney Cricket Ground]], [[Sydney]] |
attendance = 26,856 |
referee = [[Gary Cook (referee)|Gary Cook]] {{flagicon|AUS}} |
manofmatch = [[Royce Ayliffe]] {{leagueicon|Sydney|16}} |
}}

==Aftermath==
After winning the 1974 and 1975 Sydney premierships, Eastern Suburbs would not win another until [[2002 NRL Grand Final|2002]], while St Helens would go on to win a third English premiership in succession in [[1976–77 Northern Rugby Football League season|1976–77]].

The next time Easts, now known as the Sydney Roosters, would play in a World Club Challenge was in [[2003 World Club Challenge|2003]] where they would again face St Helens, the [[2002 Super League Grand Final|2002 Super League champions]] at the [[Reebok Stadium]] in [[Bolton]], [[England]]. The result would be no different though as the Roosters defeated the Saints 38-0 in front of 19,807 fans.

To celebrate the 40th anniversary of the challenge, St Helens and the Sydney Roosters played a match as part of the [[2016 World Club Series]].<ref name=sl>[http://superleague.co.uk/article/33177/clubs-confirmed-for-2016-world Clubs confirmed for 2016 World Club Series], ''superleague.co.uk'', 8 October 2015</ref>

==See also==
*[[World Club Challenge]]

==References==
{{reflist}}

==External links==
*[https://web.archive.org/web/20080502152857/http://www.superleague.co.uk/wcc_1975-76.php?rid=321 1976 World Club Challenge at superleague.co.uk]
*[http://rugbyleagueproject.com/matches/World_Club_Challenge_1976/Sydney_Roosters-vs-St_Helens.html 1976 World Club Challenge at rugbyleagueproject.com]

{{World Club Challenge}}
{{Eastern Suburbs - 1976 World Club Challenge Winners}}

{{DEFAULTSORT:World Club Challenge}}
[[Category:World Club Challenge|1976]]
[[Category:Sydney Roosters matches]]
[[Category:St Helens R.F.C. matches]]
[[Category:International rugby league competitions hosted by Australia]]
[[Category:Rugby league in Sydney]]
[[Category:1976 in Australian rugby league]]
[[Category:1976 rugby league matches]]
[[Category:Sydney Cricket Ground]]