 Post match at a Wigan Leeds game in 2009 | |
| Location | Northern England |
|---|---|
| Teams |  Leeds Rhinos Wigan Warriors |
| First meeting | 4 January 1896 (Wigan 11–5 Leeds) |
| Latest meeting | 19 September 2025 Wigan Warriors 22-6 Leeds Rhinos |
| Next meeting | 2026 (unless the teams meet in the 2025 play-offs) |
| Stadiums | Headingley DW Stadium |
| Statistics | |
| Meetings total | 274 |
| Most wins | Wigan (157) |
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.
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 35 league championships between them to date (beaten only by the collective haul of St Helens and Wigan Warriors at 41). 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]
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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 city in their respective counties (Leeds and Manchester), the term "Roses Derby" is often used to describe derby matches from theses cities. The term has been used to describe matches in football and cricket, with the term deriving from the War of the Roses between the House of Lancaster and the House of York.
In all competitions, competitive and uncompetitive:
| Played | Leeds | Drawn | Wigan |
|---|---|---|---|
| 274 | 107 | 8 | 157 |
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| Leeds Rhinos | Honour | Wigan Warriors | ||
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Rank | No. | No. | Rank | |
| 3rd | 11 | League Championships | 24 | 1st |
| 3rd | 9 | League Leaders | 23 | 1st |
| 2nd | 14 | Challenge Cup | 21 | 1st |
| 4th | 2 | Premiership | 6 | 1st |
| 2nd | 4 | League Cup | 8 | 1st |
| — | 0 | Charity Shield | 4 | 1st |
| 3rd | 3 | World Club Challenge | 5 | 1st |
| 1st | 15 | Yorkshire / Lancashire League | 18 | 1st |
| 1st | 17 | Yorkshire / Lancashire Cup | 21 | 1st |
| 5th | 1 | BBC2 Floodlit Trophy | 1 | 5th |
