Editing Warrington Wolves (section)

===Northern Union to the First World War: 1895–1918===
The new competition drew the top teams from Yorkshire and Lancashire led to a rise in the standard of opponents. Warrington defeated Hunslet 5–4 in their opening match but this was followed by four successive defeats. In a tough first season, Warrington finished 13th out of 22.

After only a single season of the cross-county competition, the Northern Union was boosted by a number of clubs defecting from the RFU. The Northern Union reverted to two county based leagues, and Warrington took part in the Lancashire Senior Competition, but could only manage a mid-table finish. The Wire fared better in the new Northern Union Challenge Cup and made it to the semi-final against eventual winners Batley before bowing out.

In 1898, Warrington moved to their [[Wilderspool Stadium]] home. A 10-year lease was agreed with Greenall Whitley for land on the east side of their existing ground, a pitch previously used by Latchford Rovers Rugby Club.

In 1900–01, Warrington reached the final of the [[Challenge Cup]], facing Batley. A crowd of 29,000 turned out at Leeds to see Warrington battle hard but be beaten by two tries to nil. Warrington also appeared in the renamed South West Lancashire Cup against Leigh two days later. The strenuous game against Batley took its toll on the Warrington players and the match ended in a 0–0 draw, the replay never took place as Warrington were unable to raise a team and so forfeited the trophy.

Warrington's first trophy in the new era followed the next season when the Wire picked up the South West Lancashire League when a play-off was required to beat Widnes after the teams finished level on points.

The 1901–2 season saw the reestablishment of a cross-county league, Warrington were one of the 14 teams that were to form the Northern Rugby Football League.

In 1903–04, Warrington defeated [[Bradford Bulls|Bradford Northern]] in a semi-final replay to earn a place in the final of the Challenge Cup. Warrington put up a fine performance against Halifax but lost 8–3. After two Challenge Cup final defeats, Warrington finally succeeded in bringing home the cup in 1904–05, Warrington beat [[Hull Kingston Rovers]] 6–0 in front of a crowd of 19,638.<ref name=northernunion /> A highest to date league finish of fifth was achieved in the same season.

Warrington's second Challenge Cup victory came two years later in 1907, when Warrington beat Oldham 17–3. A Lancashire Cup final defeat to Broughton Rangers occurred in the same season.

In 1908, 14 November the first touring Australian rugby league team visited Warrington. The Kangaroos embarked upon a massive six months tour of Britain taking in 45 matches. Their timing was not good as the north of England was hit by strikes in the cotton mills, which badly affected attendances as fans could not afford to watch the pioneering Aussies. On Saturday 14 November 1908 Warrington played the Kangaroos. Warrington won the match 10–3, with Jackie Fish the hero scoring one try and Ike Taylor the other, Fish and George Dickenson kicked a goal each. A crowd of 5,000 watched the match at Wilderspool. The Warrington team that day was [[Jimmy Tilley]], [[Jack Fish (rugby league)|Jack Fish]], [[George Dickenson]], [[Ike Taylor (rugby league)|Ike Taylor]], [[Lewis Treharne]], [[Ernest Brooks (rugby league)|Ernest Brooks]], [[John Jenkins (rugby)|John Jenkins]], [[William Dowell]], [[Alfred Boardman]], [[Billy O'Neill (rugby)|Billy O'Neill]], [[George Thomas (rugby, born 1881)|George Thomas]], [[Peter Boardman (rugby league)|Peter Boardman]], and [[John Willie Chester]]. The Australians came back to Wilderspool for "revenge" later in the tour but tries from Jack Fish, and John Jenkins earned the 'Wirepullers' an 8–8 draw. Two members of the Kangaroo squad, [[Dan Frawley]] and [[Larry O'Malley]] later signed for Warrington and played the next season at Wilderspool. Warrington have the best record of any club side against the touring Kangaroos with eight wins, one draw, and seven defeats from sixteen matches.<ref>{{Cite web |url=http://www.warringtonwolves.org/100-years-since-wire-took-on-the-aussies-for-the-first-time-2372 |title=Warrington Wolves – Official Web Site |access-date=4 July 2013 |archive-date=5 July 2013 |archive-url=https://archive.today/20130705033353/http://www.warringtonwolves.org/100-years-since-wire-took-on-the-aussies-for-the-first-time-2372 |url-status=dead }}</ref>

In 1913, Warrington reached their fifth Challenge Cup Final, with wins over Keighley, Hull Kingston Rovers, Salford and Dewsbury. The final was lost 9–5 to the mighty Huddersfield "Team of all the Talents". Warrington scored first through a try by Bradshaw converted by Jolley and gave a wonderful display in what was considered to be the best Cup Final of the pre-war era. A disappointing league season had seen Warrington finish 18th, their lowest pre Great War. So the Challenge Cup performances were a tremendous achievement.<ref>{{Cite web|url=http://www.wire2wolves.com/history.php?era_id=2&art_id=39&year=1913&browse_level=3|title = W2W – Fashion Shop|website=Wire2wolves.com}}</ref>

Warrington purchased Wilderspool in 1914 with the freehold being held in trust for club members. At first, the beginning of the First World War did not impact rugby league competitions, as authorities decided to continue with normal fixtures, in part due to the mistaken belief that the war would be short.

Competitive fixtures were suspended for the 1915–16 season and Warrington did not play any friendly matches due to difficulty raising a team. Wire recommenced playing in 1916 following the introduction of conscription which meant that they would not be accused of keeping men from volunteering for the First World War.