The reigning Super League champions, Leeds, suffered their first defeat of the new season as their injury-hit side were beaten by a Widnes team who again suggested they may be capable of a push for the top eight in 2018.
Leeds were without a dozen first-team players who between them have over 1,500 games of Super League experience for this trip across the Pennines.
That, combined with the fact the Rhinos did not return to training until Thursday following their excursions in Australia for last week’s World Club Challenge, always suggested this would be a difficult afternoon for Brian McDermott’s side.
That mitigation, though, should take nothing away from Widnes, who were undoubtedly worthy winners here. Last season was a year of struggle for the Cheshire side, who came within a whisker of being forced to play in the Million Pound Game to guarantee their place in Super League for this season.
It took the Vikings until April to win their first game last year, but they now have two wins from their opening four games following this result - having also pushed last season’s Grand Finalists, Castleford, desperately close a fortnight ago, too.
With half a dozen injuries of their own to contend with for good measure, this was another afternoon which suggests the Vikings are in a better position to challenge this year. “To keep any kind of Leeds side to one try and six points suggests it’s a great win,” their coach, Denis Betts, said.
Interestingly all three Super League sides that played in Australia over the last fortnight lost their first games back in England: and in Leeds’ case, their youthful-looking side perhaps inevitably faded as the contest wore on.
The Rhinos actually led 6-4 at half-time courtesy of Brad Dwyer’s try, but that was the only time Leeds would breach Widnes’ impressive defensive efforts all afternoon. They had earlier gone ahead thanks to Joe Mellor’s instinctive finish, and while Dwyer’s try meant they trailed at half-time, the second half was one-way traffic.
There were three more Widnes tries, two of them to the centre, Krisnan Inu, who is already staking a claim to be Super League’s signing of the season after the opening month. Inu’s brace, as well as a fine finish from the young hooker, Danny Walker, secured victory and while the margin of victory was perhaps a tad harsh on an enthusiastic Leeds side, the outcome was certainly the right one.
