Widnes welcome Warrington in the Vikings first taste of Championship Rugby
The six month wait for the Vikings return to league action comes to a close Sunday afternoon, as Widnes take on bitter rivals Warrington in round one of the Championship.
Widnes was crowned League One Champions courtesy of a late Sammy Traynor try back in October against Wakefield, which sealed promotion for the Vikings to the Championship.
Meanwhile rivals Warrington suffered relegation into the Championship from Super League, after a turbulent 2025 season on and off the field.
Both teams will welcome Championship Rugby with open arms for very different reasons. For Warrington its a great opportunity to reset with some fresh talent joining a handful of players who decided to stay loyal to the club.
As for Widnes, regular fixtures and an increase in standard of opposition is a challenge the group relish. After an almost faultless 18 month period, it is the natural next step of progression for the squad testing themselves against well established names in the women’s game.
Coaches thoughts
Ahead of Sunday’s derby action head coach Dom Dean delivered his thoughts prior to the game, he went onto say “I am really looking forward to the start of the season, it has been a target of ours for a couple of years to work our way into the Championship and what better way is there to kick off the league campaign against Warrington.”
“The girls have worked incredibly hard over the last 5 months in preseason, we have had trial games and the cup run which unfortunately came to an end prematurely.”
“Despite the cup defeat, we have worked hard to correct our mistakes and I am looking forward to the test Warrington will bring this Sunday.”
“We are ready for the challenge this season and we are prepared to take it all in our stride.”
A talent to watch
Widnes captain Aimee Wood joined the Forge Podcast earlier this week confessing her excitement for the weekends action. The experienced Half-back confirmed the group was ready for battle and expressed anything could happen on derby day.
During an interview that covered a wide range of topics in regards to the Widnes women’s team, Aimee was asked which rising talent should supporters be on the look out for in 2026?
Aimee went onto say “There is a few talented up and coming players, but if I was pushed to answer I’d say Marnie Lee-Kelly.”
“She is a natural athlete, who is still very young and can cover a number of positions, she can play Half-back, Centre, Wing and even Loose-Forward.”
Aimee was pushed to answer what position in her opinion could she see Marnie making her own, she added “I would say Half-back, she is a running threat with skill, with a bit more experience I think that will be her position long term.”
Team news
Game day details
The Cheshire derby kicks off at 3.00pm, Wilmere Lane Widnes, for further match build up click the links below to follow the teams social media channels.
