The St Helens R.F.C. – Wigan Warriors rivalry is a historic local rivalry between the rugby league clubs St Helens and the Wigan Warriors, based in North West England. The rivalry is born out of relative proximity of the two towns, but as two of the most successful clubs in British rugby it has become a marquee event in the calendar.
Initially at least one fixture was played on Boxing Day annually and was known as the Boxing Day Derby, later the second fixture settled on Good Friday. Following the leagues decision to move the competition from winter to the summer the Good Friday Derby remains the one traditionally fixed game in the calendar.
History
St Helens and Wigan are two of the original twenty-two northern rugby clubs that broke away from the Rugby Football Union to form the Northern Union in 1895, which gave birth to the modern day sport of rugby league.[2] The two clubs first encounter in the newly formed league was in the first season of the new code. The fixture was played at St Helens' Knowsley Road ground and ended in a 0-0 draw.[3] The clubs have since faced each other over 300 times in all competitions, and the rivalry has grown to become rugby league's biggest derby encounter.
Over the years the two clubs have become very successful. Wigan are the most successful club in British rugby league, having won 23 league titles and 21 Challenge Cups. St Helens are the second most successful team with 17 league titles and 13 Challenge Cup wins. In rugby league grand finals, the clubs have contested five league championship matches with St Helens claiming the title at Wigan's expense on four occasions (1971, 2000, 2014) and 2020 to Wigan's one grand final success over Saints in 2010.
| Locations of St Helens and Wigan on maps of Merseyside (left) and Greater Manchester (right). | |
Traditional dates
In keeping with tradition, derby fixtures within the RFL have usually been played on Boxing Day and Good Friday.[4] Since the move to summer seasons in 1996, Boxing Day games have no longer been competitive and has seen events like Leeds's and Wakefield's Festive Challenge emerge in keeping with the Boxing Day tradition. The Super League however has kept to the tradition of having derbies on Good Friday with St Helens and Wigan not competing a Good Friday Derby on only three occasions since the summer switch.[5]
Head to Head
- Statistics correct as of 24/07/2024[a]
In all competitions, competitive and uncompetitive:
| Played | St Helens | Drawn | Wigan |
|---|---|---|---|
| 386[b] | 147 | 18 | 219 |
Matches by competition
| Competition | Played |
|---|---|
| League (Inc. RFL-1 and SL) | 257[c] |
| Challenge Cup | 28 |
| League Cup | 2 |
| Charity Shield | 1 |
| Premiership | 11 |
| Lancashire League | 17 |
| Lancashire Cup | 17 |
| Yorkshire Cup | 4 |
| BBC2 Floodlit Trophy | 6 |
| Wartime Emergency League | 14 |
| Lancashire Wartime Emergency League | 4 |
| Friendlies | 15 |
Meetings in major finals
- 1953–54 Lancashire Cup Final: St Helens 16–8 Wigan
- 1960–61 Challenge Cup Final: St Helens 12–6 Wigan
- 1965–66 Challenge Cup Final: St Helens 21–2 Wigan
- 1970–71 NFRL Division One Championship Final: St Helens 16–12 Wigan
- 1984–85 Lancashire Cup Final: St Helens 26–18 Wigan
- 1988–89 Challenge Cup Final: Wigan 27–0 St Helens
- 1990–91 Challenge Cup Final: Wigan 13–8 St Helens
- 1991–92 Premiership Final: Wigan 48–16 St Helens
- 1992–93 Charity Shield: St Helens 17–0 Wigan
- 1992–93 Lancashire Cup Final: Wigan 5–4 St Helens
- 1992–93 Premiership Final: St Helens 10–4 Wigan
- 1995–96 League Cup Final: Wigan 48–16 St Helens
- 1996 Premiership Final: Wigan 25–16 St Helens
- 1997 Premiership Final: Wigan 32–20 St Helens
- 2000 Super League Grand Final: St Helens 29–16 Wigan
- 2002 Challenge Cup Final: Wigan 21–12 St Helens
- 2004 Challenge Cup Final: St Helens 32–16 Wigan
- 2010 Super League Grand Final: Wigan 22–10 St Helens
- 2014 Super League Grand Final: St Helens 14–6 Wigan
- 2020 Super League Grand Final: St Helens 8–4 Wigan
Collective Honours
- As of the 2024 season
| St Helens | Honour | Wigan Warriors | ||
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Rank | No. | No. | Rank | |
| 2nd | 17 | League Championships | 23 | 1st |
| 2nd | 16 | League Leaders | 22 | 1st |
| 3rd | 13 | Challenge Cup | 21 | 1st |
| 3rd | 4 | Premiership | 6 | 1st[d] |
| 6th | 1 | League Cup | 8 | 1st |
| 3rd | 1 | Charity Shield | 4 | 1st |
| 3rd | 3 | World Club Challenge | 5 | 1st |
| 2nd | 8 | Lancashire League | 18 | 1st |
| 2nd | 11 | Lancashire Cup | 21 | 1st |
| 2nd[e] | 2 | BBC2 Floodlit Trophy | 1 | 5th |
| Both teams have also received the BBC Sports Team of the Year Award once. | ||||
See also
Notes
- ^ Source for matches played up to 27/9/19.[6]
- ^ Two of these fixtures were abandoned
- ^ Regular Season: 243; Playoffs: 14
- ^ Join first with Widnes Vikings
- ^ Joint second with Salford Red Devils and Leigh Centurions.
References
- General
- Inline
- ^ "Rugby league: St Helens 75 - 0 Wigan". TheGuardian.com. 27 June 2005.
- ^ "Rugby Football History".
- ^ "Wigan Warriors Rugby League Fan Site - www.cherryandwhite.co.uk".
- ^ "Rugby League on Christmas Day". 25 December 2017.
- ^ "A Good Friday tradition - Wigan v Saints".
- ^ "Wigan Warriors Rugby League Fan Site - www.cherryandwhite.co.uk".
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