How have Widnes and Salford got so good? Punching well above their weight at the moment.

It's the result of the salary cap levelling out the competition.
Oh, hang on...................

Hull reverting to type

Widnes have played all of the bottom 4 teams and an average Hull team, plus lost to Salford. Wouldn't be going too overboard yet. The table tends to balance out after Easter.

Radford just sat there for so long motionless looking like he's feeling sorry for himself. Whilst the result by HT was realistically gone he didn't seem to be bothered about trying to stem the flow and just looked to be accepting what was happening.

Widnes were impressive as they were when they beat us, can they keep it up?
possibly not, but they are very entertaining to watch at the moment and just goes to show what can happen if you build something rather than panic and sack coaches when things don't go well.

Widnes are on 10 points. They only got 19 points last season!

True, their next 6 fixtures are

Wigan (a)
Wire (a)
Saints (h)
Catalans (a)
Cas (h)
Wire (h)

Will be interesting to see where they sit after that period.

Along with cas they have good coaches who have studied the game and not been rushed into head coaching positions (or have been and then taken a step back before returning to superleague)

Proper condescending interview from Bill Arthur to Radford

Tell you what, Radfords.comments there's about individuals not being up for it, doesn't that get said EVERY YEAR at hull, with each and every coach?

Blaming individuals?

They definitely faced Leeds and Huddersfield at the right time but they absolutely smashed both of those sides. To be fair, they have been quite a good attacking side ever since they signed Kev Brown. Even before then it wasn't really scoring points that was the problem, they just couldn't defend for their lives. This year they've been rock solid. They are full of confidence at the minute. I fancy they will finish top 6.

Well done Dennis Betts.

Good luck to them, nice to see a 'lower' team doing well.

Good to see a smaller club doing well for a change, they can win 4 of their next 6 (2 losses to us ofc

) for what I care, keep the Cheshire teams at the top!



Although they've yet to be truly tested, they are playing good rugby at the minute. Could they keep it up if they lose either Brown or Mellor to injury though? If they are to slip down the table, that'll be why.

Hull were awful and didn't have much luck in the first 15 minutes, but really impressed with Widnes and especially there halfs, great player is Brown, would love him in the Hull side.

I thought Hull were very good first half hour or so and were desperately unlucky to be behind never mind by 20 points at HT. Everytime Widnes got near they pulled off a great play that stuck, which is credit to them mind. I have to admit to turning over once Brown scored straight after HT as it looked like Hull heads had gone by then, but i wouldn't be too discouraged in the long run despite the result, you definitely need to get a new coaching team in, iv'e said for a while the reason yourselves and Catalans will be held back is the coaches are not up to it.

Widnes are looking a decent bet for the top eight & that try they scored in the second half was the best I’ve seen since the Catalan on against St’s a couple of years ago.

I know in the context of the game the Catalan one was more important, but that was a great showcase for the game.

i actually thought that game changed, when hull were reet on the widnes line and tried the barge over again with pritchard, and heremaia dealt with him pretty easy.

After that, i thought the wind went out of their sails.

It was really dumb play, we should have been 18-0 up 20 minutes, if we took our chances and that try (really poor decision by the VR) was given, but we just seem to give up once they scored and everything they did came off.

I was applauding my lap-top there! Lovely passing.

Brown is undoubtedly one of the talisman and Mellor is a cracking player who I hope has a long career at Widnes. Their understudy, Tom Gilmore, is capable though. He's a Super League player in wait. Saints and Warrington supposedly sniffing around him?

Said after they'd smashed us the other week it wasn't a fluke and they actually looked a very good side.

They still do look a very good side !!

The major difference IMO is that for the last couple of seasons our player turnover has been selective and smart.

We've had plenty of off seasons when it feels like we've turned over half of the squad. Admittedly there are a few new faces this year Sa, Thompson, Houston and Bridge most notable and you'd have to say that these are upgrades on the players in those positions last year. The turnover isn't anything like what it was in previous seasons.
The spine of the side has been together a good few years now, were fairly young when when assembled and it seems to show as they seem to get better as they get older.
I'd also give a shout out to the coaching personnel. Hodgson seems to have been a bit of a coup and the new fitness guy seems to have us as fit as I've ever known us.

With all that said. I'm definitely not getting carried away but simply enjoying the performances that we're putting in. We've seen this side start well before and fall away as soon as injuries take a bit of a hold and our next run of games are genuinely tough. It's just pleasing to hear people be so complementary about the club.

Widnes looked really well coached and played the team game to perfection. Hull did neither and looked like they have forgot how to tackle on their line.

Great to the see unfancied teams doing well. Hats off to Widnes.