Leeds Rhinos–Wakefield Trinity rivalry
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 The 2008 Festive Challenge | |
| Location | West Yorkshire, England |
|---|---|
| Teams |  Leeds Rhinos Wakefield Trinity |
| First meeting | 21 February 1903 (Leeds Rhinos 13–0 Wakefield Trinity) |
| Latest meeting | 27 March 2021 (Leeds Rhinos 28–22 Wakefield Trinity) |
| Stadiums | Headingley Belle Vue |
| Statistics | |
| Meetings total | 123 |
| Most wins | Leeds Rhinos (84) |
The Leeds Rhinos – Wakefield Trinity rivalry is a West Yorkshire Derby born from locality and competitive history. The two sides play an annual pre-season friendly, the Festive Challenge, every Boxing Day to celebrate their rivalry.
Head-to-head record[edit]
- Statistics correct as of 19/5/21[1]
In all competitions, competitive and uncompetitive:
| Played | Leeds | Drawn | Wakefield |
|---|---|---|---|
| 123 | 83 | 6 | 34 |
Meetings in major finals[edit]
- 1932–33 Yorkshire Cup Final: Leeds 8–0 Wakefield
- 1934–35 Yorkshire Cup Final: Leeds 5–5 Wakefield
- Replay 1: Leeds 2–2 Wakefield
- Replay 2: Leeds 13–0 Wakefield
- 1947–48 Yorkshire Cup Final: Wakefield 7–7 Leeds
- Replay 1: Wakefield 8–7 Leeds
- 1958–59 Yorkshire Cup Final: Leeds 24–20 Wakefield
- 1961–62 Yorkshire Cup Final: Wakefield 19–9 Leeds
- 1964–65 Yorkshire Cup Final: Wakefield 18–2 Leeds
- 1967–68 Challenge Cup Final: Leeds 11–10 Wakefield
- 1973–74 Yorkshire Cup Final: Leeds 7–2 Wakefield
Collective Honours[edit]
- As of the end of the 2021 season
| Leeds Rhinos | Honour | Wakefield Trinity | ||
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Rank | No. | No. | Rank | |
| 3rd | 11 | League Championships | 2 | 14th |
| 2nd | 14 | Challenge Cup | 5 | 7th |
| 4th | 2 | Premiership | 0 | — |
| 3rd | 2 | League Cup | 0 | — |
| — | 0 | Charity Shield | 0 | — |
| 3rd | 3 | World Club Challenge | 0 | — |
| 1st | 15 | Yorkshire League | 7 | 3rd |
| 1st | 17 | Yorkshire Cup | 10 | 4th |
| 5th | 1 | BBC2 Floodlit Trophy | 0 | — |
Festive Challenge[edit]
| Sport | Rugby league |
|---|---|
| Number of teams | 2 |
| Country |  (RFL) |
| Holders | Leeds Rhinos (12th title) |
| Most titles | Leeds Rhinos (12 titles) |
The Festive Challenge is an annual friendly rugby match played between Leeds Rhinos and Wakefield Trinity that is played on Boxing Day.[2][3]
History[edit]
Background[edit]
Matches played on Boxing Day were a regular part of rugby league season in Great Britain before the establishment of the Super League in 1996 and the switch to a summer season. Following the winter of 1962–1963, which caused the postponement of many sports fixtures, undersoil heating was installed at Headingley. This ensured that the surface would be playable for the 1963 Boxing Day match between Leeds and Wakefield, and led to the league schedule including a Leeds home fixture on Boxing Day every year apart from 1994 when they were away to Hull F.C. During this period Leeds faced numerous opponents, but the most frequent was Wakefield, who they faced a further ten times after 1963.[4] In 1995, Leeds defeated Castleford at Headingley in their final competitive Boxing Day match before the move to the summer era.[5]
Establishment[edit]
In 1996, Gary Hetherington, the recently appointed chief executive at Leeds, wanted to continue the tradition of a Boxing Day game so a friendly against Halifax was played as the first "festive challenge". In the following years Leeds played Halifax three more times and faced Bradford Bulls in 1999.[4][5][6] Between 2001 and 2003 Leeds played Castleford Tigers and defeated them in all three matches.[7][8][9]
Leeds and Wakefield[edit]
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The first festive challenge between Leeds and Wakefield was played in 2004.[10]
The 2010 event was postponed to New Year's Day due to poor weather.[11]
In 2017, the fixture was moved to Belle Vue, the first time it was played away from Headingley, due to the redevelopment of Headingley Stadium.[12]
Results[edit]
 | This section appears to be slanted towards recent events. (May 2021) |
Winners[edit]
| Team | Wins | Years | |
| 1 | Leeds Rhinos
|
12 | 2004, 2005, 2006, 2009, 2010, 2011, 2012, 2014, 2017, 2018, 2021, 2023 |
| 2 | Wakefield Trinity
|
6 | 2007, 2008, 2015, 2016, 2019, 2022 |
Sponsors[edit]
| Period | Sponsor | Name |
| 2009 | Cravendale | Cravendale Festive Challenge |
| 2011–2013 | Heatshot | Heatshot Festive Challenge |
| 2014 | Tetley's | Tetley's Festive Challenge |
| 2015– | Wetherby Whaler | Wetherby Whaler Festive Challenge |
See also[edit]
Notes[edit]
- ^ Postponed to New Year's Day 2011
References[edit]
- ^ "Leeds Rhinos - Head to Head - Rugby League Project".
- ^ "Rhinos name strong side for Wetherby Whaler Festive Challenge". Archived from the original on 24 December 2015.
- ^ Andy Charles. "Wakefield Wildcats beat Leeds Rhinos in Boxing Day friendly". Sky Sports.
- ^ a b "Leeds Rhinos news as all-time greats set for Boxing Day Headingley reunion v Wakefield Trinity". Yorkshire Evening Post. 19 December 2023. Retrieved 13 May 2024.
- ^ a b c "Leeds Rhinos' Boxing Day blues - for one year only". Yorkshire Evening Post. 25 December 2020. Retrieved 13 May 2024.
- ^ "Lowes misses Rhinos clash". Telegraph & Argus. 23 December 1999. Retrieved 13 May 2024.
- ^ "Walker strolls through class debut". The Indepepndent. 27 December 2001. Retrieved 13 May 2024.
- ^ "Leeds Rhinos 20 Cas Tigers 2 (Thu 26th Dec)". www.castigers.com. Archived from the original on 4 May 2003.
- ^ "Mathers plays despite tragedy". The Independent. 27 December 2023. Retrieved 13 May 2024.
- ^ a b "Leeds Rhinos 46–6 Wakefield". BBC. 27 December 2004. Retrieved 13 May 2024.
- ^ "Rhinos move festive friendly". Sky Sports. 24 December 2010. Retrieved 13 May 2024.
- ^ "Construction work sees Leeds-Wakefield Boxing Day clash switched to Belle Vue". Wakefield Express. 26 September 2017. Retrieved 13 May 2024.
- ^ a b c d e f g h i j k l "Match Preview: Wetherby Whaler Festive Challenge". Leeds Rhinos. 26 December 2023. Retrieved 13 May 2024.
- ^ "Rhinos ease to Boxing Day victory at Wakefield". Total Rugby League. 26 December 2017. Retrieved 13 May 2024.
- ^ https://www.yorkshireeveningpost.co.uk/sport/rugby-league/leeds-rhinos-10-wakefield-trinity-4-rhinos-hit-back-retain-festive-challenge-honours-176622%3famp [dead link]
- ^ "Luke Gale: Leeds Rhinos half-back returns in festive Wakefield Trinity run-out". BBC Sport. 27 December 2019. Retrieved 13 May 2024.
- ^ "Leeds Rhinos 34-6 Wakefield Trinity: Player ratings and major talking points". 26 December 2021.
- ^ "FULL MATCH | 2022 Wetherby Whaler Festive Challenge". YouTube.
- ^ "Five key takeaways as Leeds Rhinos come from behind to beat Wakefield Trinity". 26 December 2023.
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