The Warrington Wolves–Wigan Warriors rivalry is a local rugby league rivalry based in Lancashire, England. The two clubs are some of the most successful in England, and annually compete in the Locker Cup to celebrate their rivalry.
History
The competitive history of the two clubs began on 18 January 1873 when the then two-month-old Wigan Warriors played their first match against Warrington Wolves (who would not form an official team for another three years). Both clubs were founding members of the NRFU, and have enjoyed a fierce rivalry throughout their history. Both sides also have other major rivalries, Warrington vs Widnes Vikings and Wigan vs St Helens, which at times has dampened the rivalry between them. However it was Wigan's dominance in during the late 1980s and 90s which caused the largest taming of the rivalry. It was only in 2009 and 2010 following Warrington's back-to-back victory in the Challenge Cup and the club's subsequently establishing themselves as a Super League Top Four Club which saw the rivalry heat up again as both teams started simultaneously competing for top honours. In the decade that followed, the clubs contested three Super League Grand Finals in 2013, 2016, and 2018. The rivalry has said to have been at its peak between 2011 and 2013.
Head to head Statistics correct as of 14/05/2026https://www.rugbyleagueproject.org/head2head/warrington-wolves-vs-wigan-warriors/all/summary.html
In all competitions, competitive and uncompetitive:
PlayedWarringtonDrawnWigan3291276192
Meetings in major finals 1925–26 NFRL Division One Championship Final: Wigan 22–10 Warrington 1948–49 Lancashire Cup Final: Wigan 14–8 Warrington 1950–51 Lancashire Cup Final: Wigan 28–5 Warrington 1989–90 Challenge Cup Final: Wigan 36–14 Warrington 1985–86 Lancashire Cup Final: Wigan 34–8 Warrington 1986–87 Premiership Final: Wigan 8–0 Warrington 1987–88 Lancashire Cup Final: Wigan 28–16 Warrington 2013 Super League Grand Final: Wigan 30–16 Warrington 2016 Super League Grand Final: Wigan 12–6 Warrington 2018 Super League Grand Final: Wigan 12–4 Warrington 2024 Challenge Cup Final: Wigan 18-8 Warrington
Collective honours As of the 2024 Super League Grand Final Warrington WolvesHonourWigan WarriorsRankNo.No.Rank12th3League Championships2412th3League Leaders244th9Challenge Cup214th2Premiership64League Cup80Charity Shield40World Club Challenge58Lancashire League189Lancashire Cup210BBC2 Floodlit Trophy15th
Locker Cup
The Locker Cup (previously the Wardonia Cup until 1972) is a friendly tournament contested by rugby league clubs Warrington Wolves and Wigan Warriors introduced in 1938. The single game tournament was played as a preseason friendly alternating between the club's home grounds annually until the switch to summer rugby in 1996. It was brought back for Magic Weekend 2019, but was cancelled a year later due to the COVID-19 pandemic. Since then it has been played for during the Super League season.
Results
Year Winner Score1938 Warrington Wolves1939–1944colspan=21945 Wigan Warriors1946 Wigan Warriors1947 Wigan Warriors1948 Warrington Wolves1949 Wigan Warriors1950 Warrington Wolves1951 Wigan Warriors1952 Wigan Warriors1953 Wigan Warriors1954 Warrington Wolves1955 Warrington Wolves1956 Warrington Wolves1957 Wigan Warriors1958 Wigan Warriors1959 Wigan Warriors1960 Wigan Warriors1961 Wigan Warriors1962 Warrington Wolves1963 Warrington Wolves1964 Wigan Warriors1965 Wigan Warriors1966 Warrington Wolves1967 Warrington Wolves1968 Wigan Warriors1969 Wigan Warriors1970 Wigan Warriors1971 Wigan Warriors1972 Wigan Warriors1973 Warrington Wolves1974 Warrington Wolves1975 Wigan Warriors1976 Warrington Wolves1977 Wigan Warriors1978 Warrington Wolves1979colspan=2 rowspan=161980198119821983198419851986198719881989199019911992199319941995 Wigan Warriors38–30colspan=32019 Warrington Wolves26–142020–2021colspan=22022 Wigan Warriors32–62023 Wigan Warriors13–62024 Wigan Warriors19–182025 Wigan Warriors22–202026 Warrington Wolves23-6
Gallery
See also Derbies in the Rugby Football League
References