Widnes 16-28 Huddersfield: Giants score first away win
By PA Sport
Last Updated: 09/03/18 11:03pm
Huddersfield picked up their first away win of the Super League season with a workmanlike 28-16 victory at rain-soaked Widnes.
The Giants were looking to fire up their season after only picking up two points from their four previous Super League outings and the Vikings, who ended the contest with a sending off for Wellington Albert, proved to be easy fodder.
The loss rounded off a dismal day for Widnes' boss Denis Betts, who lost his England Rugby League assistant coaching berth on Friday.
Betts would have been furious about what he seen in the first period as his side were well off the pace.
A steady flow of penalties and errors cost the Vikings dearly as the Giants raced to a 14-0 after Jake Mamo and Ryan Hinchliffe crossed.
Things did not get much better for the Vikings in the second half either as the Giants hit them for further scores from Oliver Roberts and Jermaine McGilvary.
Betts' men rallied slightly and plundered three late tries from Joe Mellor, Matt Whitley and Stef Marsh, but it was never going to be enough.
Huddersfield talisman Danny Brough was the man causing the Vikings all the problems and he was involved in all the points in a dour first 40 minutes.
Rhys Hanbury gave Hinchcliffe a gift of a try after only four minutes as Brough's towering bomb was misjudged by the Aussie full-back and Hinchcliffe dived over.
Brough slotted the extras from in front of the posts and then his neat kick proved to be perfect for Mamo, who defied the odds to touchdown.
Another Brough conversion and penalty left the Giants in command at half-time.
Widnes improved in the second half and they went close after Tom Gilmore's kick put Marsh over.
Order soon resumed, however, as the Giants marched up the other end of the field to score through a simple barge over from Roberts.
Things got worse for Widnes as substitute Albert saw red after only three minutes of action as he was carded for a cannonball tackle on McGilvary.
McGilvary dusted himself down to get on the end of a sweeping Huddersfield move on the right edge to extend their lead even further.
Two tries in three minutes from Vikings pair Mellor and Whitley gave the home side a shot of a comeback.
But another Brough goal stunted their momentum and them Marsh touched down with seven minutes to go.
It was all in vain, though, with Brough having the final say with his sixth goal of the night.
