Catalans 10-12 Widnes: Vikings edge past Dragons to confirm Super League safety
Last Updated: 23/09/17 7:54pm
Widnes secured their Super League status and condemned Catalans Dragons to a place in the dreaded Million-Pound Game with a nail-biting 12-10 victory in the south of France.
The Vikings finished bottom of Super League at the end of the regular season but rescued their top-flight status with a first victory in Perpignan in their final Super 8s Qualifier thanks to second-half tries from Corey Thompson and Stefan Marsh.
It means the French club must play Leigh in a decider at Leigh Sports Village next Saturday as they seek to prevent a drop into the Kingstone Press Championship.
The first half proved an extremely tight affair full of nerves and tension with both sides clearly acutely aware of the fixture's immense importance.
A couple of penalties apiece from Luke Walsh and Tom Gilmore left it 4-4 at the break, with a draw enough for Widnes to claim the automatic third spot in the Qualifiers table and the Dragons in need of a win to save themselves.
Widnes scored the first try after 54 minutes as Charly Runciman shipped the ball out to the left wing for Thompson to finish superbly.
The Vikings then notched a second 10 minutes later as Marsh flopped over at the end of the move that had much to do with an outstanding break from Runciman, who carved through three or four challenges before just being stopped short of the whitewash.
The ball was then put through the hands quickly and Marsh had the easiest of finishes to seemingly put the game beyond the Dragons.
Steve McNamara's side responded with a try of their own with nine minutes left though, as Julian Bousquet crashed his way under the posts, and when Walsh converted the score was back to 10-12.
The Dragons piled on the pressure in the remaining time in search of a crucial victory, turning down two penalty shots, but in the end they could not break through a resolute Viking backline.
