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. 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.
Name 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. 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. ==Head to Head==