After both suffering Good Friday defeats, the Vikings and the Saints were both looking to salvage some points from the Easter period when the two sides met in Widnes for this afternoon’s game.

Widnes needed a win to keep in touch with top spot and the side who beat them on Friday, the Warrington Wolves, while two points for Saints could see them up into fourth, depending on the outcome of the Wolves visit to Hull FC.

Saints started to banish Friday’s Wigan nightmare when they opened the scoring after four minutes through Joe Greenwood who went five metres with two Vikings tacklers attached to ground on the line. Luke Walsh kicked the easy extras for a good early lead.

Widnes were back on level terms on eleven when Rhys Hanbury grabbed a cheeky try from acting half when he went under weak Saints tacklers to stretch and ground one-handed. He added the conversion to his own try and Widnes were right back in the game with a good response to the Saints opener.

Louis McCarthy-Scarsbrook took advantage of a Widnes dropped ball when he came onto a short pass to crash the line and dive over. Walsh added the two for a 12-6 lead. Within four minutes Tommy Makinson got Saints third when they gave the ball air and he ducked inside to go under the Widnes winger to ground in the corner. Walsh was unable to convert from the touchline but there was no daylight between the sides.

Luke Walsh opened the second half scoring with a penalty on fifty. Walsh added another two points on sixty-two to take the visitors three tries clear of the hosts.

With ten minutes to go Rhys Hanbury stretched out a hand from under a scrum of Saints defenders to ground the ball on the line and reduce the arrears. He added the extras for 12-20 leaving his side eight behind with nine on the clock.

Widnes finished the game of the front foot but couldn’t get over the whitewash and made it consecutive Easter defeats for the side who came into the weekend at the top of the pile. Warrington also lost, away at Hull FC, and remain two points clear of Wigan who play Hull KR at 8pm this evening and who have a chance of going top.

There was nothing pretty about this. Two tired teams slugged it out with very little expansive play and plenty up the middle. Saints had the better composure and made the fewer mistakes doing the basics more effectively to take the two points but they remain in fifth place behind Hull FC.

Vikings: Hanbury (2T, 2G), Thompson, Dean, Chamberlain, Ah Van, Mellor, Gilmore, O’Carroll, Heremaia, Dudson, Sa, Houston, Cahill. Subs: Manuokafoa, Gerrard, Leuluai, Whitley.

Saints:McDonnell, Makinson (T), Peyroux, Dawson, Owens, Fages, Walsh (4G), Walmsley, Roby, Savelio, Greenwood (T), McCarthy-Scarsbrook (T), Wilkin. Subs: Burns, Amor, Turner, Thompson.