2010 World Club Challenge
| 2010 World Club Challenge | |||||||||||||
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| Date | 28 February 2010 | ||||||||||||
| Stadium | Elland Road | ||||||||||||
| Location | Leeds, West Yorkshire, England | ||||||||||||
| Cameron Smith, Melbourne | |||||||||||||
| Referees | Richard Silverwood (England) | ||||||||||||
| Attendance | 27,697 | ||||||||||||
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The 2010 World Club Challenge (known as the Gillette World Club Challenge due to sponsorship by Gillette Fusion) was a rugby league tournament contested by Super League XIV champions, Leeds Rhinos, and 2009 NRL Premiers the Melbourne Storm. This was Leeds' third consecutive appearance in the World Club Challenge, and the second appearance in three years for Melbourne. Melbourne and Leeds previously played each other in the 2008 World Club Challenge with Leeds winning that match 11 - 4.
Melbourne Storm won the game 18-10; however later in the year were stripped of the title (as well as its 2009 NRL premiership and other titles) after the club was found guilty of salary cap breaches. The prize money was redistributed to Leeds, but the title of World Club Champion was not.
Leeds Rhinos qualified through being the 2009 Super League champions, defeating St Helens R.F.C. 18–10 in the Grand Final.
Melbourne Storm qualified by being crowned the 2009 National Rugby League premiers with a 23–16 defeat of the Parramatta Eels, in the NRL Grand Final. This premiership was later stripped from the Storm due to salary cap breaches.
The Storm, despite being stripped of their two premerships, were initially allowed to keep the World Club Challenge title, including the trophy and prize money they won; however, on May 11, 2011, a final report released further detailing the Melbourne Storm salary cap scandal recommended the Storm be stripped of the 2010 World Club Challenge. In addition the prize money won was redistributed to Leeds.
Melbourne played a warm-up game against the Harlequins RL Super League team at the Twickenham Stoop. The match took place on Sunday 21 February - a week before the Storm played for the world title. The event was dubbed the World City Challenge – London Series. Melbourne were without Cooper Cronk, Brett White and Ryan Tandy, with both sides giving a number of youngsters a taste of first-team action.
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