For reasons that are obvious, Nathan has been sacked.

For reasons that are obvious, Nathan has been sacked.

Super League winners Wigan defeated Penrith in England, denying the formidable NRL team their first World Club Challenge crown.

Warriors center Jake Wardle’s contentious try in the second half, along with a tenacious defensive effort, gave the home team a record-tying fifth championship in a 16–12 victory that prevented the Panthers from adding another trophy to their collection.

The Super League winners have now won five world titles, sharing the feat with the Sydney Roosters.

After losing a heartbreaking 13–12 at home to St Helens in 2023, Penrith had not added a global championship to their NRL premiership for the second year running.

The Panthers will have many questions over Wardle’s game-winning try at the packed DW Stadium, which was given even though the England international didn’t seem to ball should be ground well short of the line.

Wigan defeated the Penrith Panthers in the World Club Challenge.
Wigan defeated the Penrith Panthers in the World Club Challenge.

Wigan center In the 53rd minute, Jake Wardle was given a contentious try.
Wigan center In the 53rd minute, Jake Wardle was given a contentious try.

The on-field ruling of a try could not be reversed by a video review, as replays of the apparent grounding were masked by Dylan Edwards and Brian To’o’s bodies as they made ferocious tackles.

To exacerbate the situation for Penrith, center Taylan May made a scrambling attempt on the game’s final play that would have resulted in a dramatic equalizer, but the on-field decision to not try was upheld due to inconclusive evidence.

Social media was used by soccer supporters watching at home to vent their frustrations with the referee.

One fan tweeted, “I’m NEVER going to complain about NRL refs again.”

Another said, “Panthers robbed by terrible ref/video ref.”

‘Panthers robbed tonight, typical English refs getting the decisions wrong again, last wigan try was never a try,’ a third said.

The Panthers’ performance was far from ideal; in the 25 minutes after falling behind, they made six mistakes as their offense had difficulty.

The NRL champions struggled early to choose the best option on final-tackle plays and had some time to settle into a rhythm. They were held without a kick for four sets in the first 20 minutes as they were unable to convert.

to profit from dominance over a territory.

Penrith had not succeeded in adding the world title to their NRL premiership for the second year in a row.
Penrith had not succeeded in adding the world title to their NRL premiership for the second year in a row.

With the exciting 16-12 victory, Wigan won a fifth title that equaled the record.
With the exciting 16-12 victory, Wigan won a fifth title that equaled the record.

Rather, it was Bevan French, a former Parramatta player and five-eighth for Wigan, who executed the deadly moves with some lovely passing.

He set up the first point of the game for winger Abbas Miski with a double cut-out ball, and the hosts took a 10–6 lead after another pass enabled former Gold Coast forward Kruise Leeming to score.