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Dragons and Wigan make history with rugby league first at Barca
vNou Camp, kick-off 3.30pm
FOLLOWING in the footsteps of Lionel Messi will not faze Wigan’s players.
That is the hope of coach Adrian Lam ahead of today’s groundbreaking game at the Nou Camp.
The Warriors will get their first peep inside Barcelona’s iconic venue only two hours before they kick off against Catalans Dragons. But Lam (below) is convinced his Super League champions will not freeze making history in Messi’s back yard.
He said: “I don’t think they will as we’ve played in some big games over recent years, so they are excited about it. It will hit them when they walk out and realise how massive it is, but sharing it together is great.”
Barca invited Catalans to host a game at the 99,354 capacity stadium after they became the first nonEnglish club to lift the Challenge Cup in August.
The Dragons asked Wigan to be the opponents for a clash expected
?League crowd Warigraionrsto?o?k other games on the road, including to Australia last year, but chief executive Kris Radlinski rates this the most ambitious yet. He said: “You have to be brave but if we’re serious about growing the sport we have to push boundaries.”
No Barca players are expected to watch but 26 senior club officials, including the president, will attend. The French RL Federation postponed this weekend’s fixtures to boost the chances of the game attracting a 30,000-plus crowd. The Super League record is 25,004 for Wigan v St Helens in 2005.
Despite that, the vast ground will still look empty. But Wigan skipper Sean O’Loughlin ( Joe Burgess, below, going over during Wigan’s 42-0 thrashing of Catalans in March) said: “I don’t think anyone was expecting us to fill the stadium.
“It’s about taking rugby league to somewhere it’s not been before and somewhere iconic.’’ 1909: Fred Perry was born. Perry won three consecutive Wimbledon titles from 1934-36 and he was the first man to win the singles titles at all four Grand Slam events.
1950: Jimmy Mullen became England’s first substitute in a football international, coming on
for Jackie Milburn against Belgium in Brussels. He went on to score and thus became the first sub to score in an international.
1990: Roberto Baggio was transferred from Fiorentina to Juventus for a then world record £7.7million.
2001: Sir Alex Ferguson announced he would sever all ties with Manchester United at the end of the season – a decision he went back on in February 2002. TOTTENHAM players, their wives and toddlers were to stage a demo outside Alan Sugar’s Chigwell home in an amazing protest over the axing of Terry Venables. Skipper Neil Ruddock had held up a banner at a testimonial fixture that read: ‘Sugar out, Venables in’. But the protest was now taking on a new level. STAGING Catalans against Wigan in Barcelona is a major boost for Super League. And I definitely think they should follow up by staging a Magic Weekend at the Nou Camp.
This is an incredible opportunity for the sport, and a great gesture by Barcelona to offer to host the game.
If I was still playing, I’d have been counting down the days until the match – it would be like a cup final for me.
The players will rise to the occasion, and even somebody like Wigan captain Sean O’Loughlin, who has been there and done it all, will relish the chance of playing at this iconic sporting venue.
Running out at Wembley or Old Trafford is a great thing.
But you know that every year you get the opportunity to play for that.
The Nou Camp could be a one-off – although I’d like to see Super League go back and take a Magic Weekend there.
I understand there is a cost implication for supporters.
So we need to give them enough time to save for what would be a brilliant trip.
If you said right now that Magic Weekend was going to be there in 2022 and set the date in stone, it gives people a realistic chance of attending.
We haven’t seen enough 9/10 performances from Wigan and the Dragons this season.
But when they play at the top of their game both are good enough to win silverware.
I just hope they both turn up today. If they do, we’ll have one hell of a game.
MAY