The first World Club Championship/Challenge match was on Tuesday, 29 June 1976 when Eastern Suburbs (now Sydney Roosters) beat St Helens 25-2 at the Sydney Cricket Ground before a crowd of 26,856.

The Saints had won the Premiership in 1975-76, while Easts were the 1975 Australian Premiership Grand Final winners.

The one-off match was given little official status and there were no further meetings between the countries’ top teams until Wigan met and beat Manly 8-2 at Central Park on 7 October 1987 in the re-styled World Club Challenge.

Wigan qualified as the 1986-87 Division One champions and Manly as Australia’s Minor Premiership (league leaders) winners, although they did win the Grand Final just 10 days before meeting Wigan.

The World Club Challenge was given full International Board recognition in 1989 and was played at irregular intervals up to 1994 between the British champions and Australia’s Grand Final winners.

In 1997 there was a Super League World Club Championship involving 22 clubs.

There was a gap of a few years before the World Club Challenge was restored in 2000 with a match between Britain and Australia’s Grand Final winners.

British clubs have won 12 of the 20 World Club Challenge matches since 1987.

World Club Challenge 1987-2014.

7/10/87 Wigan 8 Manly 2 (Central Park, Wigan) Attendance: 36,895.

10/10/89 Widnes 30 Canberra 18 (Old Trafford, Manchester) Attendance: 30,786 2/10/91 Wigan 21 Penrith 4 (Anfield, Liverpool) Attendance: 20,152.

30/10/92 Brisbane 22 Wigan 8 (Central Park, Wigan) Attendance: 17,746.

1/6/94 Wigan 20 Brisbane 14 (ANZ Stadium, Brisbane) Attendance: 54,220.

22/1/00 Melbourne 44 St Helens 6 (JJB Stadium, Wigan) Attendance: 13,394.

26/1/01 St Helens 20 Brisbane 18 (Reebok Stadium, Bolton) Attendance: 16,041.

1/2/02 Bradford 41 Newcastle 26 (McAlpine Stadium, Huddersfield) Attendance: 21,113.

14/2/03 Sydney Roosters 38 St Helens 0 (Reebok Stadium, Bolton) Attendance: 19,807.

13/2/04 Bradford 22 Penrith 4 (McAlpine Stadium, Huddersfield) Attendance: 18,962.

4/2/05 Leeds 39 Bulldogs 32 (Elland Road, Leeds) Attendance: 37,028.

3/2/06 Bradford 30 Wests Tigers 10 (Galpharm Stadium, Huddersfield) Attendance: 19,207.

23/2/07 St Helens 18 Brisbane 14 (Reebok Stadium, Bolton) Attendance: 23,207.

29/2/08 Leeds 11 Melbourne 4 (Elland Road, Leeds) Attendance: 33,204.

1/3/09 Manly 28 Leeds 20 (Elland Road, Leeds) Attendance: 32,569.

28/2/10 Melbourne 18 Leeds 10 (Elland Road, Leeds) Attendance: 27,697.

27/2/11 St George Illawarra 21 Wigan 15 (DW Stadium, Wigan) Attendance: 24,268.

17/2/12 Leeds 26 Manly 12 (Headingley Carnegie, Leeds) Attendance: 21,062.

22/2/13 Leeds 14 Melbourne 18 (Headingley Carnegie, Leeds) Attendance: 20,400.

22/2/14 Sydney Roosters 36 Wigan 14 (Allianz Stadium, Sydney) Attendance: 31,515.