Every rugby league final between Wigan Warriors and Hull KR ahead of Old Trafford showdown

Wigan Warriors and Hull KR aren’t exactly familiar foes when it comes to meetings in finals, but the two clubs are not absolute strangers to a showpiece against one another.

The pair will square off at Old Trafford on Saturday evening in what is undoubtedly their highest-profile clash ever.

Wigan go in search of a seventh Super League title in their 13th Grand Final, while KR are involved in the Grand Final for the first time ever having never reached these heights previously.

Below, we’ve taken a look at the two occasions which saw the clubs battle it out for silverware previously – and strangely, both came in the same campaign!

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Rugby League Charity Shield – August 25, 1985

The first match of the 1985/86 season brought the first-ever Charity Shield, played out over in the Isle of Man at The Bowl in Douglas with a crowd of 4,066.

KR had finished top of the First Division the season prior, so qualified for the Charity Shield as champions of England. Wigan meanwhile had won the Challenge Cup, and qualified as cup holders.

Notably, the Robins have not won a major honour since that last league title in 1985, and they ended up on the losing side in this Charity Shield encounter, beaten 34-6 by the Cherry and Whites.

Just nine Charity Shield games were played out in total, with the most recent being in 1995.

The two sides from this clash between KR and Wigan are listed below.

Hull KR: George Fairbairn, Garry Clark, Ian Robinson, Gary Prohm, David Laws, Mike Smith, Gordon Smith, Des Harrison, David Watkinson, Asuquo Ema, Andy Kelly, Chris Burton, Phil Hogan – Bench: John Lydiat, Chris Rudd

Wigan: Steve Hampson, Phil Ford, David Stephenson, Steve Donlan, Henderson Gill, Shaun Edwards, Mike Ford, Neil Courtney, Nicky Kiss, Danny Campbell, Graeme, West, Nick Du Toit, Shaun Wane – Bench: John Mayo, Ian Lucas

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John Player Special Trophy Final – January 11, 1986

Later that same season, Wigan made it a double over KR in finals with their triumph in the John Player Special Trophy showpiece at Elland Road.

17,573 spectators were in attendance to watch an 11-8 success for Wigan, with a goal from David Stephenson and a drop goal from Greg Dowling making the difference.

Tries from Mike Ford and Shaun Wane had been evened out with both David Laws and John Lydiat crossing the whitewash for the Robins.

This brought Wigan’s second of eight triumphs in the competition, with KR having won it the season prior in 1984/85. The competition was last played out in 1995/96, then known as the ‘Regal Trophy’.

Wigan: Steve Hampson, Ray Mordt, David Stephenson, Ellery Hanley, Henderson Gill, Steve Ella, Mike Ford, Greg Dowling, Nicky Kiss, Shaun Wane, Graeme West, Andy Goodway, Ian Potter – Bench: Shaun Edwards, Nick Du Toit

Hull KR: John Lydiat, Garry Clark, Mike Smith, John Dorahy, David Laws, Gordon Smith, Paul Harkin, Peter Johnston, David Watkinson, Asuquo Ema, Chris Burton, Andy Kelly, Gavin Miller – Bench: Ian Robinson

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Other notable games between Wigan and Hull KR

Though those are the only two previous finals between Saturday’s opponents at Old Trafford, the pair have faced off in ten semi-finals over the years across all competitions, including last year’s Super League play-off semi-finals.

Elsewhere, this year’s Challenge Cup semi-final between the pair at Doncaster’s Eco-Power Stadium was the fifth last-four tie between them in that competition.

And between 1912 and 1925, the two clubs also faced off four times in the semi-finals of the Northern Rugby Football Union.

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