Widnes Viking take the spoils at The Shay

Match Report: Halifax Panthers 8 Widnes Vikings 9 

Widnes Vikings come out on top of a close fought game against the Panthers. The Vikings pick up their first win in a regular season away at Halifax since 2006 and retain the top spot of the Betfred Championship table. 

Conditions for the game were tough for both sides and the pitch took the brunt of the heavy rainfall over the past couple of days. This game was always going to be a tough fought game of rugby league as both sides were restricted to play an expansive style of play. 

The Panthers were their own worst enemies in the first quarter of the game giving away penalties and valuable possession to the inform Vikings. Halifax did well to deal with the pressure as it took 21 minutes for Widnes to penetrate the defence. The try came from a pinpoint chip through from Matty Smith, The Panthers defenders were in two minds about taking the ball in and Eribe Duro leaps above Kevin Larroyer to take first blood for the visitors under the sticks. An easy conversion from Joe Edge gave the Vikings the lead.

          

Widnes were clinical with their sets and the kick on the last tackles. Halifax had the task of starting their attacking sets deep in their own half on almost every set. 

The penalties continued to add up against the Panthers. A ball steal on Tyler Dupree in front of their sticks gave Joe Edge another easy kick to take the score to 8 nil. Widnes piled on the pressure as they tried to twist the screw into Halifax, but they muscled up in defence to keep the Vikings out for another try before the half time hooter. 

The Panthers entered the changing rooms with all the work to do in the second half. 

At the start of the second half Widnes continued to pin Halifax in their own half, making it difficult for them to clear their lines. 

Halifax gained some valuable field possession on the back of three penalties in quick succession. The Panthers took advantage of the applied pressure with some lovely hands to the right edge, Ed Barber linking up with James Saltonstall to send him in the corner for Halifax’s first points of the game. Joe Keyes landed a fantastic conversion from the touchline to bring the game to within 2 points.      (Photo credit Simon Hall)

As the Panthers did in the first half, Widnes were their own worst enemies as they penalties mounted up. A head high tackle under their own sticks gave Joe Keyes the opportunity to level up the game on the 54th minute. 

Panthers Halifax almost gave away another two points as they gave Widnes the opportunity to take the lead twenty metres out from their line on the back of another high tackle. Joe Edge was unable to convert in the 63rd minute.  

The Panthers were lucky not to concede a try moments later as Widnes kicked through the ball to the posts, it fumbled through three Halifax players hands, but the referee deemed the Vikings to be offside from the kick. Halifax came up with a coach killer and dropped the ball on the first tackle giving Widnes possession twenty metres away from the Halifax line. Matty Smith rubbed salt into the wound of the Panthers and lined up a drop goal giving the Vikings the lead once again in the 67th minute. 

Both sets of players dug in deep for the final ten minutes of the game, the intensity of the drives and tackles did not falter.  

Halifax got themselves into prime position following some fancy footwork from Zack McComb. An attempt at drop goal from the Panthers failed to take flight and skidded along the mud, relieving some of the pressure on Widnes’s defence. 

The defence soon turned to attack at the other end of the pitch as Matty Smith’s cross field kick was fumbled by Zack McComb under some heavy pressure from the chasing defenders. A massive defensive effort by the Panthers on their own line was rewarded as Widnes knocked on at the play the ball. The mistake came too late for Halifax to gain any traction on the back of it.  

This was a messy, hard-fought game clouded by penalties and handling errors from both sides. This could have been anyone’s game, but it was the Vikings that come away with the rewards. 

 

Halifax Panthers: J.Martin, Z.McComb, E.Barber, J.Arundel, J.Saltonstall, C.Aston, J.Keyes, A.Tangata, B.Moore, D.Murray, B.Kavanagh, M.Garside, K.Larroyer INT: L.Jouffret, T.Gwaze, J.Fairbank, W.Calcott 

Tries: Saltonstall 48” 

Conversions: Keyes 49” 55” (pen) 

Widnes Vikings: L.Roby, R.Ince, M.Fleming, J.Edge, B.Holroyd, D.Craven, M.Smith, K.Baker, M.Fozzard, T.Dupree, S.Wilde, O.Davis, A.Brown INT: E.Doro, W.Tilleke, A.Lawton, L.Hulme 

Tries: Doro 21” 

Conversions: Edge 22” 35” (pen)  

Drop Goal: Smith 67”