5 hours Ago By [email protected] (Matthew Shaw)
Hull KR's hopes of playing in a World Club Challenge appear to have been crushed, with a Penrith Panthers official saying there is "no way in the world" that they will play in the match next season. Last week, the Panthers secured a fourth-consecutive NRL title, which saw them qualify to feature in the clash against the Super League champions at the beginning of the 2025 season. Rugby League Live had previously revealed that the game was under threat of being abandoned due to the travelling schedules of teams who could compete.
Penrith, as well as Wigan Warriors, are both due to play in Las Vegas a week after the battle of the hemispheres and it had been deemed unreasonable for either club to travel across the globe to compete before travelling to Vegas. Click here - Get the latest news on our Rugby League Live WhatsApp channel However, Hull KR were committed to heading down under if they were victorious at Old Trafford this weekend and were willing to make the commute to play for the right to be named world champions. However, Penrith CEO Brian Fletcher has vetoed that proposal according to the Daily Telegraph, leaving any hopes of the match taking place next year in tatters.
“You couldn’t put the players through it. We can’t play it, we don’t have the time span,” Fletcher said. “It’s impractical.
There’s no way in the world we could fit it into the schedule. Our coaches and football department have said the players couldn’t stand up to it. “The amount of football that they’ve played and then a World Club Challenge before we go to Vegas – it becomes too much.
Player welfare is the biggest problem. We have 20-odd players in the Pacific Test matches as well and we have a lot of surgery to be done on players over the off-season. “We’re playing away from home all season as well.
You wouldn’t be able to get them ready for an early game in early February. We’d have a job to put together a team by then because they wouldn’t be physically fit. And we’d need them fit for Vegas.
There wouldn’t be a hope in Hades and we have told the NRL.” It's a crushing blow for the concept, which has found new life in recent years after St Helens stunned the world by beating the Panthers on their own patch before Wigan beat Penrith in front of a sell-out crowd in the UK. NRL Grand Finalists Melbourne were willing to travel to the UK given they aren't involved in the Vegas weekend and Hull KR are very keen to be involved if they win at Old Trafford this weekend.
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