The rivalry between Widnes Vikings and Warrington Wolves is one of the most heated in the British rugby league championship. It dates back to 1878 and continues today, with over 260 official derbies since 1896: Warrington leads 143-99, but Widnes has always defended its turf, with 65 wins out of 126 at home. Icons such as the 1975 Challenge Cup, won 14-7 at Wembley in front of 85,000 spectators, fuel the passion. Given the heated rivalry and the difficulty of betting on the eventual winner, you can take advantage of Paddy Power’s free bets and find out more by reading the review written by the experts at Oddschecker. With the women’s derby scheduled for April 19 at DCBL Stadium, fans are more excited than ever to take part in the next chapter of this fierce rivalry. Let’s sink in the history of this heated derby.
What happened last January
The rivalry between Widnes and Warrington’s rugby clubs pre-dates the formation of the Northern Union. Old newspapers report of their first meeting, in 1878, noting fierceness on both sides, exactly as it is the case today. That fierceness emerged plenty of times in the next 142 years. Most notably, during the ‘70s, when Welsh forwards Jim Mills and Mike Nicholas would battle it out. The ‘80s were also a hot time-frame, when Kurt Sorensen and Les Boyd added a new flavour to the derby’s hostilities.
Widnes has been outside of what is now Super League at various points, during the summer era. This means that the derby does not have the same prominence of others in the competition. However, two teams based in the space of 7 miles can’t exactly be friends, and we had another demonstration of it on January 9, when the Wolves destroyed the Vikings in their preseason clash at the Halliwell Jones Stadium and home fans loved every moment of it.
That match ended in ugly fashion for the Vikings, who lost 50 to 12. The purpose of the match, obviously, was to get the players ready for the season and the result wasn’t something to be very concerned about, but Wolves’ enthusiasts were overjoyed with the one-sided affair’s outcome. The highlights underline a full domination by Warrington and the result speaks for itself. Though undermanned, the Vikings played with some pride and tried their best to honour the match. The Wolves were simply too strong that day. The rivalry, however, is nowhere near close and is now about to move to female rugby. Widnes and Warrington’s women’s teams will face one another in April and renew the challenge once again.
The rivalry lives on in the female championship
Next April 19, the rivalry will renew and transcend athletes’ gender: on that day, the female league derby is scheduled and fans will witness all the bitterness and the disrespect these teams have for each other. We will cover this game as usual, on our website and in our podcast, while underlining its most fierce episodes and situations. The Vikings women’s team will try to finish their season avoiding relegation after their thrilling 2025 campaign that led to a League One title.
The game against Warrington is Widnes’ home opener and the key players are already looking forward to it. The Vikings are eager to prove themselves in the Championship and show the rugby aficionados how clear is their talent. The chance to begin the new season against a fierce rival is ulterior motivation to play well. The derby has always been a men’s issue but now, after the women’s promotion, it may very well become a genderless rivalry or, who knows, maybe even a war for the ladies.
