Leeds Rhinos–Wigan Warriors rivalry

Rugby league rivalry

Leeds Rhinos–Wigan Warriors rivalry
The War of the Roses Derby

Post match at a Wigan Leeds game in 2009

Location| Northern England
Teams|  Leeds Rhinos
Wigan Warriors
First meeting| 4 January 1896
(Wigan Warriors 11–5 Leeds Rhinos)
Latest meeting| 21 July 2022
(Leeds Rhinos 42–12 Wigan Warriors)
Stadiums| Headingley
DW Stadium
Statistics
Meetings total| 168
Most wins| Wigan (97)

The Leeds Rhinos–Wigan Warriors rivalry, recently branded as the War of the Roses derby,[1] is a rugby league rivalry born from the roses rivalry and strong competitive history between the clubs with them both being considered two of the best in England.

## History[edit]

Wigan Warriors

Leeds Rhinos

class=notpageimage|

Locations of Leeds Rhinos and Wigan Warriors.

The rivalry between Leeds Rhinos and Wigan Warriors is the primary representation of the roses rivalry in rugby league. Both clubs are the most decorated in their respective counties and have 33 league championships between them to date (beaten only by the collective hall of St Helens and Wigan Warriors at 38). The rivalry has been described as the most underrated rivalry in British rugby league, and having the grounds to be placed with the aforementioned Good Friday Derby between St Helens and Wigan and the Hull Derby.[2] The rivalry was not present in the early years of rugby league, despite both clubs being founder members of the NRFU, with Leeds not winning their first league title until 1961. From then, the competitive rivalry started to intensify, but it wasn't until Wigan's period of dominance in the late 80s and 90s then Leeds's dominance in the late 00s and early 10s which saw both teams win the treble in their respective periods and the rivalry become what it is today.[2]

Headingley (left) and the DW Stadium (right) are the homes of Leeds Rhinos and Wigan Warriors.

### Name[edit]

Since the discontinuation of the county origin series War of the Roses in 2003, the Leeds-Wigan rivalry has seemingly inherited the name in the years since only adding to the rivalry's intensity.[1] As representatives of the largest cities in each county (Leeds and Manchester), the term "Roses Derby" is often used to describe matches between sports teams from these cities, the term has been used for a greater period of time to describe matches in football and cricket. Historically, the term referred to the rivalry between the House of Lancaster and the House of York in the counties where both clubs are located get their name.

## Head to Head[edit]

Statistics correct as of 19/8/22[3]

In all competitions, competitive and uncompetitive:

Played  | Leeds  | Drawn  | Wigan

|
|
|

168  | 63  | 8  | 97

### Meetings in major finals[edit]

Leeds Rhinos and Wigan Warriors contest the 2011 Challenge Cup Final at Wembley Stadium

* 1982–83 League Cup Final: Wigan 15–4 Leeds
* 1993–94 Challenge Cup Final: Wigan 26–16 Leeds
* 1994–95 Challenge Cup Final: Wigan 30–10 Leeds
* 1994–95 Premiership Final: Wigan 69–12 Leeds
* 1995–96 Charity Shield: Wigan 45–20 Leeds
* 1998 Super League Grand Final: Wigan 10–4 Leeds
* 2011 Challenge Cup Final: Wigan 28–18 Leeds
* 2015 Super League Grand Final: Leeds 22–20 Wigan

## Collective Honours[edit]

See also: List of Leeds Rhinos seasons and List of Wigan Warriors seasons

As of the 2022 Challenge Cup Final
Leeds Rhinos  | Honour  | Wigan Warriors

|
|

Rank  | No.  | No.  | Rank
3rd  | 11  | League Championships | 22  | 1st
3rd  | 9  | League Leaders | 22  | 1st
2nd  | 14  | Challenge Cup | 20  | 1st
4th  | 2  | Premiership | 6  | 1st
2nd  | 4  | League Cup | 8  | 1st
—  | 0  | Charity Shield | 4  | 1st
3rd  | 3  | World Club Challenge | 4  | 2nd
1st  | 15  | Yorkshire / Lancashire League  | 18  | 1st
1st  | 17  | Yorkshire / Lancashire Cup  | 21  | 1st
5th  | 1  | BBC2 Floodlit Trophy | 1  | 5th

## See also[edit]

* Derbies in the Rugby Football League
* Roses rivalry

## Notes[edit]

## References[edit]

1. ^ a b "War of the Roses tickets on sale - Wigan Warriors". 19 January 2022.
2. ^ a b "The top five underappreciated rivalries in Super League history". 22 August 2021.
3. ^ "Leeds Rhinos - Head to Head - Rugby League Project".