It’s been many years since Widnes last won a major trophy, but they still feature in the top 10 most successful rugby league clubs.
Competition is part of human nature. We see it in products of the same type offered by different brands, such as the UK casino games list each online casino offers to its players, all the way to the abundance of sports competitions organised across the globe for millions of fans to follow. It’s what makes us humans, humans, as this is what drives everyone to perform better in whatever they’re doing or offering.
For the purpose of this list, we have only included the current active competitions – namely Super League, Challenge Cup and World Club Challenge.
There are other lists out there that include the county cups and historical competitions, like the Regal Trophy and Floodlit Trophy.
This method perhaps understates the achievements of Widnes over the years – as they were the joint most successful team during the RFL Premiership era, winning six titles (along with Wigan). The Premiership was effectively the pre-cursor to the play-offs and current format of crowning the Super League Grand Final winners the true champions. Previously, the RFL Championship winners were the champions, with the RFL Premiership a separate competition of repute.
Widnes won the Premiership in 1980, 1982, 1983 and for three successive seasons from 1988-1990. Five of Wigan’s six wins came in the last six years of its existence, including the first two years of the Super League era when the format continued.
Wigan – 22 league titles, 20 cup wins
Unsurprisingly, out on top is Wigan – whose dominance of the sport in the late 1980s and early 1990s contributed to the Super League revolution. They are well out on their own in both league titles and Challenge Cup wins – with six more than their nearest rivals in both. In 2022, they secured their record 20th Challenge Cup title by beating Huddersfield, and of course they won eight in a row in the earlier period mentioned. Wigan have also managed to win the league and cup double on seven separate occasions, the most recent being in 2013.
St Helens – 16 league titles, 13 cup wins
Even with their three successive league titles, St Helens still have work to do to catch their arch rivals. Their Challenge Cup win of 2021 ended a drought dating back to 2008, though they have been denied having a tilt at the Australian champions due to the postponed World Club Challenge in recent years. Their league prowess in recent years at least has them shading Leeds when it comes to being second best behind Wigan.
Leeds – 11 league titles, 14 cup wins
With only three titles prior to the Super League era, the Rhinos have been one of the dominant forces since and have added eight league titles in the period since – an achievement only surpassed by St Helens last year.
Warrington – 3 league wins, 10 cup wins
They famously haven’t won the league since 1955, though have finished runners-up a remarkable 11 times as they just keep falling short. Warrington enjoyed a flurry of cup wins last decade, including three in four years, which helped them climb the list.
Widnes – 3 league titles, 7 cup wins
On the combined table, which takes in to account runners-up, Widnes are ranked in 8th – behind the four mentioned plus Hull, Huddersfield and Bradford. They would be placed the same on wins alone, with 11 including the World Club Challenge success in 1989.
| Club | Total Wins | Total RU | Combined | League Wins | League RU | CCup Wins | Cup RU | WCC wins |
| Wigan | 46 | 29 | 121 | 22 | 16 | 20 | 13 | 4 |
| St Helens | 32 | 26 | 90 | 17 | 16 | 13 | 10 | 2 |
| Leeds | 28 | 23 | 79 | 11 | 11 | 14 | 12 | 3 |
| Warrington | 13 | 21 | 47 | 3 | 11 | 10 | 10 | |
| Bradford | 14 | 13 | 41 | 6 | 7 | 5 | 6 | 3 |
| Hull | 11 | 16 | 38 | 6 | 4 | 5 | 12 | |
| Huddersfield | 13 | 11 | 37 | 7 | 6 | 6 | 5 | |
| Widnes | 11 | 10 | 32 | 3 | 4 | 7 | 6 | 1 |
| Halifax | 9 | 12 | 30 | 4 | 5 | 5 | 7 | |
| Salford | 7 | 12 | 26 | 6 | 5 | 1 | 7 | |
| Oldham | 7 | 9 | 23 | 4 | 5 | 3 | 4 | |
| Swinton | 9 | 4 | 22 | 6 | 2 | 3 | 2 | |
| Hull KR | 6 | 10 | 21 | 5 | 3 | 1 | 7 | |
| Wakefield | 7 | 5 | 19 | 2 | 2 | 5 | 3 | |
| Castleford | 4 | 5 | 13 | 0 | 3 | 4 | 2 | |
| Hunslet | 4 | 4 | 12 | 2 | 2 | 2 | 2 | |
| Featherstone | 4 | 4 | 12 | 1 | 2 | 3 | 2 | |
| Leigh | 5 | 0 | 10 | 2 | 0 | 3 | 0 | |
| Dewsbury | 3 | 2 | 8 | 1 | 1 | 2 | 1 | |
| Batley | 4 | 0 | 8 | 1 | 0 | 3 | 0 | |
| Workington | 2 | 3 | 7 | 1 | 1 | 1 | 2 | |
| Barrow | 1 | 4 | 6 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 4 | |
| Catalans | 1 | 2 | 4 | 0 | 1 | 1 | 1 | |
| London | 0 | 2 | 2 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 1 | |
| Sheffield | 1 | 0 | 2 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 0 | |
| Rochdale | 1 | 0 | 2 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 0 |
*combined is calculated by total wins * 2 + total runner ups
