It was perhaps a measure of how epic a contest the Challenge Cup meeting between Widnes and Warrington was that Vikings coach Allan Coleman was left disappointed after the match.
Widnes pushed their Super League opponents all the way, leading 16-10 on the hour mark, and only succumbing to two late tries from Ben Currie and Zane Musgrove, eventually going down 26-16.
Coleman pointed to a couple of missed opportunities and a lack of composure in the post-match press conference.
In the first half, Rhodri Lloyd scooped up a loose ball on half way and returned it just five metres short of the try line, deciding to slam the breaks on 10 metres out to try and evade the chasing defence; while Ryan Ince knocked on over the line trying to gather a short Tom Gilmore kick, both when the Vikings held a 6-0 first half lead.
Coleman said: “I’m a bit disappointed. It’s a bit hard to take. We were not smart enough at some crucial parts of the game. How we worked hard earned us the right to stay in the game.
“I think Rhodri Lloyd scores if he just puts his head down and goes. And then Incey just put your body on the line there and fall on it and you’ve got it. Then with just over 10 minutes to go, we’re on tackle four and Jack kicks it, and we don’t need to kick on tackle four, just get to tackle five and take an opportunity.
“But I asked for the best of us, and I think I got that. We attacked from our own 20/30 and we exploited them. We’ve got the quality.
“That’s got to be our standard now. We have to stick to that level for the rest of the season, nothing less than that.”
READ MORE: Coleman hopes for Widnes reinforcements after cup clash boost
Burgess says Widnes are Championship challengers
Warrington coach Sam Burgess was a relieved man after the game, and said he was happy that his players got the job done and got their name in the hat for Monday night’s quarter-final draw.
He said: “I’m happy to get the win. It wasn’t perfect, but the aim of the game is to win. And we’re still in the hat.
“They were almost at full-strength and Allan (Coleman) has had them playing really well for the last 12 months. I knew they were going to be confident and move the ball around a fair bit.
“They’re a great side. We’ve got to give credit to Allan and to Widnes – they’re a great side with good players.
“With the limited resources he has here, Allan gets the most out of his machine.
“You’ve got to give them credit, they will really challenge everyone in their competition this year.”
READ NEXT: Memorable games between Widnes and Warrington in the summer era
