As a sell out 15,008 crowd settled in to watch Super League’s top two battle it out on Good Friday, it was hard to believe that this derby has been missing from more than half of Super League’s 21 seasons to date.
Widnes’ lengthy stints in the second tier, from 1996 to 2001 and more recently 2006 to 2011, has meant Warrington’s local rivalry focus has shifted towards St Helens and Wigan, particularly in the last five years or so as they’ve fought for honours at the top table.
But this year, the “Cheshire derby” was arguably the most hotly anticipated of the whole weekend.
