Three rise above the rest, as the Vikings crashed out of the Challenge Cup

Widnes crashed out of the third round of the Challenge Cup, falling to a 25-12 defeat against Super League heavyweights Leeds Rhinos.

It was a sterling effort by Allan Colemans men who was without Jumah Sambou, Joe Edge and Sam Wilde, who all formed the left edge in last weeks victory against North Wales Crusaders.

Widnes was also without Liam Bent who is side lined for up to 6 weeks with a Shoulder injury and Nick Gregson who’s injury is not as serious as first feared.

Danny Langtree left the action Saturday after failing his HIA assessment as did captain Jack Owens who sustained a deep cut.

Despite the casualties the Vikings pushed Leeds all the way, but it was the Rhinos who progress to the next round.

The Vikings chanced their arm and on another day could of scored more points. It was a display where everyone contributed, but Adam Lawton, Jordan Abdull and Morgan McWhirter stood that little bit taller than the rest with sublime displays in attack.

Nathan Connell – 8

A mature performance from such a young talent. He rose to the occasion and again displayed his ability to play what he see’s in front of him with his kick in behind for Mike Butt’s first try. It is an exciting season ahead for supporters to watch his progression.

Mike Butt – 8

Took his 2 tries well, especially his first try picking the ball up from his laces under plenty of pressure. Defensively he was solid but the most impressive part of his performance was bringing the ball out of back field when his forwards was tiring.

Matt Fleming – 7

It was a fairly quiet afternoon for Matt compared to others. Despite both tries being scored on his side he had little involvement. He defended well for the majority of the game and put in one crunching hit in the second half. To keep his place in the team we need to see more flair in attack.

Jack Owens – 6

It wasn’t one of Jack’s best afternoons at Centre. The Leeds team seemed to target him defensively and had some joy in one on one situations. He departed the field in the first half due to a deep cut so their is slight mitigations for him this week. He will no doubt have much better afternoons than Saturday this season.

Ryan Ince – 8

A really pleasing performance from Ryan. There has been concern over recent weeks that he might not return to the form he has shown in seasons past, however he had Ryan Hall in his back pocket all afternoon including putting in a huge hit on the former England international. A bit more confidence going forward is still needed but there was plenty of positive signs on display he will kick on as the season goes on.

Joe Lyons – 6

A similar story for Joe, we need to see more in attack. Plenty of balls hit the deck from his passes and his selection of pass was questionable at times attacking the Leeds try line . He did have the awareness to shovel the ball on to Mike Butt for his second try, but it was Jordan Abdull’s kick and Adam Lawton’s presence that created the opportunity. His defence for his size was solid all afternoon.

Jordan Abdull – 9

Controlled the game for Widnes throughout and once again caused chaos with his kicking game. One kick travelled over 70 metres and when the Vikings was on the ropes he would give the team a life line with his boot. His goal kicking was faultless and everything in attack once more was instigated by Jordan. He is playing with a smile on his face and after a recent interview surrounding mental health, this is the most pleasing sign.

Dan Murray – 8

Did not look out of place against top forwards like Mikolaj Oledzki and Cameron Smith. He dished out what he got and was instrumental in Widnes staying in the battle down the middle of the pitch. He made plenty of metres and looks in great shape.

Jordan Johnstone – 8

A very impressive performance from Jordan. He played above his weight throughout putting in some bone rattling tackles. When Widnes had to roll the dice in attack he played off the cuff and looked a handful all afternoon.

Jay Chapelhow – 8

He has impressed early on in his return to Widnes and has improved in every game he has played. He looks a well rounded Championship middle and is poking his nose through defences on a regular basis. His partnership with Dan Murray is an early shout for the strongest starting Front-row pair in the division.

Max Roberts – 8

A solid performance from the Back-rower. Unfortunately for Max his stay in the Back-row was short lived once more. He transitioned into the Centre once Jack Owens left the field and defended bravely throughout. He made good metres when needed and is a player who’s contributions can sometimes go under the radar. His defence was strong all afternoon.

Danny Langtree – 6

Unfortunately left the field in the early stages after failing his HIA. The time he spent on the field he showed bags of aggression particularly in first contact defensively, but we will never know if that would of been sustained throughout the game.

Morgan McWhirter – 9

He looks a different beast this season after settling into life in the UK. He looks bigger, faster and stronger than last year. He demonstrated real toughness taking the ball in, yet displayed great skill and awareness ball in hand with offloads and his kicking game. Loose-forward or Back-row has to be the way forward for Morgan now, he has to much skill and talent to be used in 20 minute intervals off the bench.

Matty Fozard – 7

As always his introduction to the field added energy and speed around the ruck to get the Vikings on the front foot. Despite this his distribution didn’t seem to be as crisp as usual. His rare missed tackle resulted in Leeds scoring the match winning try. I have every confidence this will be put behind him very quickly and he will be raring to go next week.

Lewis Hall – 7

Made an impact once on the field but he is a player who needs minutes under his belt in a Widnes shirt. His aggression in defence is a plus for Widnes and considering his time on the sidelines he looked really solid.

Adam Lawton – 9

Has shown in two weeks both sides of his performance levels. He barely put a foot wrong and Leeds couldn’t live with his size, aggression and offloading game. He made line breaks and his presence under a Jordan Abdull cross field kick was what created Butt’s second try. His defence has been questioned in the past, but it wasn’t an issue against a Super League Leeds. He looks a much bigger threat in the Back-row and has given head coach Allan Coleman a headache deciding where to play him once Langtree and Wilde are back fit.

Jack Bibby – 6

Took some strong carries but got squared up by Brodie Croft in the middle of the field for Leeds’s second try. His performances both in attack and defence seems a couple of levels behind where he was last season. The standard has been set by the two starting middles for Widnes and he has work to do to reach the level they are currently at.