Widnes travel to Hunslet in search of a 9th straight victory
It has been a scintillating run of form of late by Allan Colemans team as the group currently sit eight games unbeaten. The Vikings have kept three of their opponents scoreless during that time, racking up 300 points scored and only conceding 58.
The recent form of the Vikings is ruthless, with the team punishing opponents on the scoreboard. The Vikings last season was guilty of not closing games out, as a result Widnes found themselves in plenty of tussles and dropping points in games that quite easily could of been won.
This season is a complete different story, with pitches firming up and playing conditions improving, Widnes are growing into the campaign, playing an exceptional brand of Rugby that teams are struggling to contain.
During the latest episode of the Forge Podcast, Head Coach Allan Coleman confirmed his teams playing style had to change to adapt to the new rules.
Coleman went onto confirm he had to make some tough decisions in order to get his team playing this brand of Rugby, which is proving to be devastating at times.
Attached bellow is the full interview.
The opponents
Despite sitting 15th in the league table, Hunslet can consider themselves unfortunate not to claim a shock victory against Widnes earlier on in the season.
The Vikings run out 32-26 winners on the day, however in the final quarter of the game a dubious decision to call back an interception try for the visitors was the difference between the two teams.
It was judged that Hunslet had knocked on into a Vikings player, before racing the length of the field to touch down. Video evidence emerged post match confirming it was an incorrect call by the officials.
The previous fixture provides a stern warning for Widnes that nothing short of a professional performance could result in a shock result.
Hunslet’s Squad
Head coach Kyle Trout has named only a 19 man squad to take on the Vikings. Leeds Rhinos young Back-row Luca Atkinson and Hull FC’s up and coming outside back Ben Johnson both link up with Hunslet for the clash against Widnes.
Former Widnes men Jayden Hatton and Anthony Walker remain unavailable for Hunslet. The pair joined the club from financially troubled North Wales Crusaders back in April.
Experienced forward Kevin Larroyer also misses the clash alongside outside back McKenzie Turner. Front-row Keelan Foster also is side-lined to injury and is expected to miss the rest of the 2026 Championship campaign.
Kyle Trout’s team enter the game low on numbers, however still hold a threat to the Vikings. Lee Gaskell, Billy Jowitt and Eddie Battye are all names who have caused the Vikings problems in previous encounters.
Charlie Graham is also in contention to make an appearance after scoring two tries against the Vikings in their 32-26 defeat to Widnes earlier in the season
Vikings strength
One change is made to the 21 man squad following last weeks clinical semi-final victory over Rochdale Hornets.
New signing Danny Richardson is in line to make his debut for his hometown club. Richardson is the man Coleman has opted to take over the reigns of Leon Hayes, who was mightily impressive during his spell for Widnes on loan from Warrington.
Quick ruck speeds due to the new rule changes introduced in 2026 have forced Coleman to make tweaks to the playing style of the team. Agile Half-backs, who can move around the field at pace are key in the system in order for Widnes to continue their winning run.
Front-row Jack Houghton makes way for Richardson in the matchday 21 man squad this weekend.
Allan Coleman confirmed on the Forge Podcast this week that Frank Sergent and Deacon Connelly will make their Widnes debuts this year. Coleman was also confident Widnes supporters will see Jumah Sambou in a Widnes jersey again in 2026 once he completes his recovery from injury at parent club Hull KR.
One to watch (Billy Jowitt)
This weeks one to watch is once again Hunslet Full-back Billy Jowitt. The former Bradford Bulls man played exceptionally well in the 40-12 away defeat to Widnes at the end of last season.
Jowitt is a smart Rugby player who can play at Half-back and Centre equally well. He is capable of unpicking defences with his Rugby brain and is a try scoring threat from out the back.
Numerous Championship teams registered interest in Jowitt at the end of 2025, however he chose to stay loyal to Hunslet, the club who gave him an opportunity after a serious injury.
It is understood Widnes are a long term admirer of the versatile Full-back, he was once a player of interest to the Vikings, however this slot is now filled by Nathan Connell, who is having a sensational break out season for Widnes.
The battle between Connell and Jowitt is a fascinating one and are both in amongst the best Full-backs in the division.
