Rugby League War of the Roses
The War of the Roses was the annual inter-county rugby league match between the historic counties of Lancashire and Yorkshire. The fixture began in 1895 as part of the County Championship until 1983 and continued as a stand-alone fixture until 2003 when the game was last played.
The match achieved prominence because the two counties are considered the 'heartland' of rugby league in Europe and are therefore traditionally the two strongest teams. Furthermore, the neighbours share a historic rivalry originating in the Wars of the Roses from which the series takes its name.
History
and Yorkshire first began contesting rugby league fixture in 1895 – the year of the sport's creation. The games were played as part of the United Kingdom's Inter-County Championship, a competition played every year with exceptions for the two world wars and 1977–1978, until the competition was abandoned in 1983. During this time, the fixture became known as the "War of the Roses". Eligibility to play was established either by county of birth or in which county players had originally played the sport professionally.The Lancashire vs Yorkshire fixture was often the most popular and highest attended, reflecting the sport's higher popularity in these two counties. As a result, the fixture returned to the British rugby league calendar as a stand-alone match in 1985 and was sponsored by Rodstock. The series lasted until 1991, when it was scrapped due to lack of interest.
In 2001, the fixture was revived under the name of the "County of Origin" series, inspired by the success of Australia's State of Origin series between New South Wales and Queensland. After three years, the Origin series games were discontinued due to a failure to attract high match attendances.
The War of the Roses fixture was proposed for a return for a mid-season clash in 2025. The clubs decided not to go ahead with a fixture in 2025 but would consider re-introducing the fixture in 2026.