Roosters 36 Wigan 14

The Sydney Roosters will begin their NRL title defence as the world champions.

It has been 21 years since any club has been able to go back to back in the NRL - a feat that has become nearly impossible to achieve in the modern era - but the Roosters have stronger claims than many before them.

Almost five months have passed since their premiership triumph but the Sydney Roosters look like they just stepped out of October.

They couldn't have asked for a better start to their title defence, steamrolling English Super League premiers Wigan 36-14 at Allianz Stadium on Saturday night to lay claim to the world champions tag.

Michael Jennings, who produced one of the greatest tries in grand final history in last year's decider, became the first player to score a hat-trick in a World Club Challenge match.

The luxury of having the match in their own backyard rather than on the other side of the world no doubt proved beneficial, but perhaps the most important factor in their quest for another premiership is an almost-unchanged roster.

Unlike most teams during a preseason trial in February, the Roosters didn't look like a football team in dire need of a run.

Their trademark ruthless defence was as brutal and as relentless as it was last season in the first half, trapping the Warriors inside their own half for most of the first 40 minutes.

Leading 18-0 at the break, the Roosters conceded three tries in the second half, but three of their own ensured the visitors wouldn't produce an unlikely comeback.

In the first World Club Challenge match played on Australian soil since the Broncos hosted Wigan in Brisbane in 1994, 31,515 fans - including a healthy contingent of travelling Wigan fans - turned out to Allianz Stadium to witness the Roosters win their third world champions title.

The Roosters won the first World Club Challenge played at the Sydney Cricket Ground against St Helens in 1976 and also tasted success against St Helens in England in 2003.

Jennings showed his strength to score the first try of the match in the third minute, bumping off a feeble attempted tackle to weave his way to the try line

A flat ball from Jake Friend out of dummy half allowed Sam Moa to crash over from close range to claim the Roosters' second try, before Jennings collected his second four-pointer when he dived on the loose ball after Matt Bowen failed to ground a Friend grubber.

A poor defensive read from Mitchell Aubusson allowed Wigan winger Joe Burgess to capitalise on the extra numbers to score his side's first try of the match in the second half. However, Jennings cleaned up another loose ball from the Warriors to run 40 metres and claim his hat-trick.

Eddy Pettybourne was put on report and was lucky not to be sent off for his high shot on Shaun Kenny-Dowall late in the first half.

Leading 24-4, Roosters skipper Anthony Minichiello dropped a bomb on his own line to gift Josh Charnley a four-pointer, before the Wigan flyer crossed in the corner seven minutes later to reduce the deficit to 24-14 with 21 minutes remaining.

But Roosters prop Jared Waerea-Hargreaves put the result beyond doubt when he crashed over from close range to give his side an unassailable 16-point lead with 12 minutes remaining.

Kenny-Dowall then put the icing on the cake when he crossed out wide to remove any doubt.