The player of the match in that historic showdown with Manly Sea Eagles at Central Park on that October night, where David Stephenson kicked Wigan to an 8-2 victory in a fiery encounter with nearly 37,000 fans crammed into the old ground, still gets asked about it regularly to this day.
Now serving as the club’s leadership and management director alongside his role as England head coach, Wane knows first-hand what it will mean for the current generation of Wigan Warriors players if they can down Penrith Panthers in Saturday’s clash between the Betfred Super League and NRL champions.
“It changes your life,” Wane told Sky Sports News. “It was 37 years since I played in that World Club Challenge against Manly, and there is barely a week or sometimes even days go by when someone around this town doesn’t mention that game.
“It was a brutal game, there weren’t many tries, it was 8-2, we smashed them to pieces, and they smashed us too. It sticks in people’s memories, and people talk about the Cronulla game we when won it when I was coaching in 2017.
“I said to the players this week, they’ve got the chance to put themselves in history forever with our great club. St Helens did it last year, and I hope our players can do it this Saturday.”
Penrith are just as eager to write their names in history as well, although for different reasons. While victory for Wigan on Saturday would see them equal Sydney Roosters’ mark of five titles – including the victory over St Helens in 1976 which has since been recognised as the first World Club Challenge match – the Panthers have yet to claim the mantle of world champions.
