Fans disagree with Jamie Peacock’s Hull Derby vs Wigan and St Helens claim

The debate as to what the biggest derby in Super League is one that’s been contested in recent years. Currently, it’s hard to see past the Hull derby or Wigan Warriors vs St Helens.

Before Bradford Bulls were relegated, another huge one was a West Yorkshire derby between them and Leeds Rhinos, who now only really have Castleford Tigers as a local rival.

One man that played on both sides of classic West Yorkshire derby games was Jamie Peacock, and speaking on The Bench Podcast, he said this week:  “For me, I think the Hull KR and Hull FC derby is just crazy when you’re in that city. I think it’s the only derby that takes over a city.

“I know Wigan and Saints is huge, Bradford and Leeds was back in the day. I know Wigan and Saints is still massive today, but it (Hull derby) takes over the city. You’ve got to be in the city to realise what it’s like.”

Peacock was at Hull KR in 2016 as a coach – and later, player-coach – when the Robins were relegated to the RFL Championship.

Fans disagree with Jamie Peacock’s Hull Derby vs Wigan and St Helens claim

There are a number of fans that see Wigan vs St Helens as the true biggest derby – and it’s those two sides that have been the most successful over the past few years.

Graham Johnson: “Nobody outside of Hull (or born in Hull) cares about the Humber Rumble. The whole RL world want to know the Saints vs Wigan result.”

Eric James Elrick: “I’m a Rhinos fan and the best Derby is Wigan v Saints and watching Wigan get stuffed is a bonus.”

However, some suggested that Wigan-Saints isn’t even a derby – despite it being the first game in rugby league that the word ‘derby’ was ever used to describe.

John Bardsley: “Wigan and Saints is not a derby. Wigan and Leigh is…”

@Cmet1981: “A big game but it’s not a derby and there’s a reason they always got stuck on the Thursday night before the Good Friday main event”

@leelad79: “There’s only 1 derby in rugby league – the Hull derby. You can go on all day making derbys up… how many other West Yorkshire Derbys is there?”

However, another gave a passionate opinion as to why they saw the Hull derby as the best.

Michael Mccourt: “Unless you’r3 a rugby fan born and bred in ‘ull’, you just don’t get the rivalry!

“I get people say Wigan Saints is a big derby, but that’s because it usually goes along way to decide who wins a trophy. Our Derby is the only one with two teams in the same city, and yes it doesn’t usually decide silverware, as we aren’t quite there yet, but it divides families, divides work colleagues… it’s devastating for the side that loses’ fans.”