Remembering The 2015 World Club Challenge Triumph
In February 2015, the Rabbitohs travelled to the north of England carrying the pride of a premiership and the expectations of a Club ready to test itself against the best English side in the world. What followed at Langtree Park became one of the most dominant performances ever produced by an NRL side in a World Club Challenge.
Fresh off their 2014 title, South Sydney arrived in St Helens with a settled team, a hardened mindset and a hunger to prove that their premiership success could travel. Co-owner Russell Crowe famously chose the match over the Oscars and from the opening whistle the Rabbitohs showed exactly why the trip was worth it.
Glenn Stewart crossed within the first two minutes, diving onto a clever Adam Reynolds kick. It was the earliest sign of what would become a relentless display. St Helens tried to lift themselves in front of a packed home crowd, but South Sydney’s control, physicality and execution were simply on another level.
Dylan Walker and Greg Inglis sliced through soon after, before Joel Reddy crossed for the first of his two tries to give Souths a commanding 24-nil lead at halftime. The Rabbitohs had scored more points in 40 minutes than St Helens’ opponents had managed across the opening rounds of Super League combined.
Any thought of a second-half fade disappeared quickly. Seven minutes after the break, Reynolds again pulled the strings, his kick creating space for Luke Keary to extend the lead to 30. Chris McQueen finished off another sweeping movement, and Reddy grabbed his second to tie the existing record margin. With time winding down, Reynolds calmly added a field goal to make it 39-nil and officially secure the biggest winning margin in World Club Challenge history.
St Helens had become the first team to be held scoreless twice in the fixture, both times by Australian sides. Their coach, Keiron Cunningham, summed up the night with honesty: “We just got schooled by the best side in the world.”
For Souths, it was more than a win. It was a statement of dominance built on hard work, unity and belief. Michael Maguire, already a premiership-winning coach, added another major honour to his résumé and reinforced the Club’s reputation as a disciplined, relentless force.
The Rabbitohs left England with the trophy, the World Champion title and a scoring record that still stands. It remains one of the great nights in the Club’s modern history.
