2006 World Club Challenge
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.
| 2006 World Club Challenge | |||||||||||||
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| Date | 3 February 2006 | ||||||||||||
| Stadium | Galpharm Stadium | ||||||||||||
| Location | Huddersfield, England | ||||||||||||
| Man of the Match | Stuart Fielden  | ||||||||||||
| Referees | Steve Ganson  | ||||||||||||
| Attendance | 19,207 | ||||||||||||
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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 |  Wests Tigers |
|---|---|---|
| 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 Player of the Match: Stuart Fielden |
Man of the Match
Stuart Fielden of the Bradford Bulls was awarded man of the match.