2006 World Club Challenge
| 2006 World Club Challenge | |||||||||||||
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| Date | 3 February 2006 | ||||||||||||
| Stadium | Galpharm Stadium | ||||||||||||
| Location | Huddersfield, England | ||||||||||||
Stuart Fielden  | |||||||||||||
| Referees |
Steve Ganson  | ||||||||||||
| Attendance | 19,207 | ||||||||||||
| Broadcast partners | |||||||||||||
| Broadcasters | |||||||||||||
| Commentators | |||||||||||||
The 2006 World Club Challenge was a Rugby League match held on Friday, 3 February 2006, at Galpharm Stadium, Huddersfield, UK. The game was contested by Bradford Bulls and Wests Tigers.
Qualification
Bradford Bulls
Bradford Bulls qualified for the Challenge after being crowned the 2005 Super League champions, defeating their local rivals Leeds Rhinos 15 - 6 at Old Trafford. This Grand Final win avenged a defeat to the same team in the title decider the year before.
Wests Tigers
Wests Tigers clinched the 2005 National Rugby League title in a 30 - 16 defeat of North Queensland Cowboys to earn a place in the World Club Challenge. The Tigers had reached the Grand Final for the first time since their formation five years earlier following a merger of Balmain Tigers and Western Suburbs.
Teams
The Tigers were without six of their 2005 NRL grand final-winning team: star stand-off half back Benji Marshall had undergone shoulder surgery in the off season; winger Pat Richards and forward Mark O'Neill had signed to play with other clubs, and Dene Halatau, Todd Payten and Shane Elford were also absent.
| Bradford Bulls | Position | Wests Tigers |
|---|---|---|
| Michael Withers | Fullback | Brett Hodgson |
| Marcus Bai | Winger | Shannon McDonnell |
| Ben Harris | Centre | Dean Collis |
| Shontayne Hape | Centre | Paul Whatuira |
| Lesley Vainikolo | Winger | Jamaal Lolesi |
| Karl Pryce | Stand Off / Five-eighth | Daniel Fitzhenry |
| Iestyn Harris (c) | Scrum Half / Halfback | Scott Prince (c) |
| Stuart Fielden | Prop | Ryan O'Hara |
| Ian Henderson | Hooker | Robbie Farah |
| Andy Lynch | Prop | John Skandalis |
| Paul Johnson | 2nd Row | Anthony Laffranchi |
| Bradley Meyers | 2nd Row | Chris Heighington |
| Jamie Langley | Loose Forward / Lock | Ben Galea |
| Joe Vagana | Interchange | Bryce Gibbs |
| Stanley Gene | Interchange | Liam Fulton |
| Brett Ferres | Interchange | Bronson Harrison |
| Matt Cook | Interchange | Sam Harris |
| Brian Noble | Coach | Tim Sheens |
Match details
Friday, 3 February 20:00 UTC+0 |
| Bradford Bulls |
30 - 10 |  |
|---|---|---|
| Tries: Marcus Bai (2) Stanley Gene Stuart Fielden (2) Goals: Iestyn Harris (5) |
Report | Tries: Daniel Fitzhenry Brett Hodgson Goals: Brett Hodgson (1) |
Galpharm Stadium, Huddersfield Attendance: 19,207 Referee: Steve Ganson Man of the Match: Stuart Fielden |
Man of the Match
Stuart Fielden of the Bradford Bulls was awarded man of the match.