Shaun Wane probably won’t forget the 1987 World Club Challenge in his lifetime.
To begin with, many of the individuals he encounters while out and about in Wigan will not let him.
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Even now, after leading Wigan to an 8-2 victory in a fierce contest attended by almost 37,000 fans at the old pitch, on that memorable October night at Central Park against Manly Sea Eagles, the player of the match is still frequently questioned about it.
In addition to his position as England’s head coach, Wane is currently the club’s director of leadership and management. As such, he has direct knowledge of the implications for the current generation of Wigan Warriors players should they defeat Penrith Panthers in Saturday’s Betfred Super League and NRL championship match.
Your life is changed,” Wane said to Sky Sports News. “I haven’t played in the World Club Challenge versus Manly in 37 years, but it seems like no day or even a week goes by in this town without someone bringing it up.
We crushed them to pieces and they crushed us as well. It was an intense game with few attempts (8–2). People still remember it, and they still talk about the Cronulla game that we won in 2017 while I was coaching.
In front of a sizable audience in Central Park, a team consisting of Ellery Hanley, Andy Gregory, and current England coach Shaun Wane prevailed over a harsh, tryless match. The Australian team was reduced to counting their bruises after David Stephenson scored four penalties to secure the win for the home team.
1991 – Wigan 12-4 Penrith: In front of 20,000 spectators at Anfield, Wigan overcame a Penrith team devoid of prominent players like Mark Geyer and Brad Fittler with to six clutch kicks from Frano Botica and tries from David Myers and Sam Panapa.
1994 – Brisbane, April 14–20 Wigan: In the Broncos’ backyard, Martin Offiah provided the game-winning play as Wigan secured a historic victory. His wing-charge early in the second half