Warrington Wolves have announced the renewal of their dual reg partnership with Championship side Widnes Vikings for the upcoming season. The two clubs have a fierce rivalry on the pitch, but off it they have been working together and will continue to do so in 2025.
The deal will see Widnes take on Wire players who aren’t featuring in Sam Burgess’ first-team set-up to give them minutes and experience at a senior level, with the benefits clear to see for both teams. The renewal of the deal will also see the Vikings make the trip to the Halliwell Jones Stadium for a pre-season friendly.
That game will take place on Friday, January 17 at 7.30pm, with Warrington hosting the Championship side as they prepare for the start of the Super League season. The game comes just one week before Widnes get their Challenge Cup campaign underway, with the second tier side entering the competition in the second round.
On the deal, Warrington Wolves’ director of rugby Gary Chambers said: “We’re looking forward to working with Allan Coleman and the team at Widnes again next season.
“This partnership will benefit both clubs massively and allows some of our younger players that opportunity to gain valuable first team experience in a competitive league.”
Widnes head coach Coleman said: “We had a lot of interest from clubs who wanted to dual reg with us, which was fantastic.
“We’ve agreed to stay with Warrington which is great for us. They were really keen last year and were again for this season.”
The friendly is the first firmed up by Warrington this season, but the club have confirmed that Toby King will play a testimonial game over pre-season, too. The Wolves will announce their first Super League fixture this evening, but the club will be in competitive action before the start of the league season, with all top flight clubs due to enter the Challenge Cup third round, which will be played during the second weekend of February.
