Leeds Rhinos–Wakefield Trinity rivalry
| Sport | Rugby league |
|---|---|
| Instituted | 2009 |
| Number of teams | 2 |
| Country |  (RFL) |
| Holders |  Leeds Rhinos (5th title) |
| Most titles | Leeds Rhinos (5 titles) |
The Festive Challenge is an annual friendly rugby match played between Leeds Rhinos and Wakefield Trinity that is played on Boxing Day since 2009.[1][2]
History
Before the summer era of rugby league, games were regularly played on Boxing Day. Some clubs chose to play pre season friendlies on Boxing Day.
The first Festive Challenge was played on Boxing Day 2009 at Headingley Stadium with Leeds winning 32-12. The fixture was repeated again but moved forward to New Years Day 2011 but was moved back to Boxing Day 2011. This was the only time the Festive Challenge has been played twice in one year.
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.
Results
| Year | Winner | Score | Runners up | Venue |
| 2009 | Leeds Rhinos
|
32-12 |  Wakefield Trinity Wildcats
|
Headingley Stadium |
| 2011 | Leeds Rhinos
|
40-22 | Wakefield Trinity Wildcats
| |
| Leeds Rhinos
|
26-10 | Wakefield Trinity Wildcats
| ||
| 2012 | Leeds Rhinos
|
40-26 | Wakefield Trinity Wildcats
| |
| 2013 | Leeds Rhinos
|
18-18 | Wakefield Trinity Wildcats
| |
| 2014 | Leeds Rhinos
|
50-28 | Wakefield Trinity Wildcats
| |
| 2015 | Wakefield Trinity Wildcats
|
14-6 | Leeds Rhinos
| |
| 2016 | Wakefield Trinity
|
30-6 | Leeds Rhinos
| |
| 2017 | Leeds Rhinos
|
17-10 | Wakefield Trinity
|
Belle Vue |
Winners
| Team | Wins | Years | |
| 1 | Leeds Rhinos
|
5 | 2009, 2011, 2012, 2014,2017 |
| 2 | Wakefield Trinity
|
2 | 2015, 2016 |
Sponsors
| 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
References
- ^ "Rhinos name strong side for Wetherby Whaler Festive Challenge". Archived from the original on 2015-12-24.
- ^ Andy Charles. "Wakefield Wildcats beat Leeds Rhinos in Boxing Day friendly". Sky Sports.
 | This rugby league football article is a stub. You can help Wikipedia by expanding it. |