Super League: Huddersfield Giants 18-36 Widnes Vikings
Last Updated: 28/02/16 6:57pm
Widnes cruised to their first away win over Huddersfield in 20 years and went top of the Super League standings with a 36-18 victory.
The Vikings, who finished in the bottom four last season, needed to win by seven points at the John Smith's Stadium to leapfrog Warrington into top spot and they reached the target with ease, with wingers Stefan Marsh and Corey Thompson scoring four of the seven tries in a rout of their injury-hit hosts.
Former Huddersfield captain Kevin Brown was at the heart of another clinical display from Denis Betts' men, who thrashed champions Leeds two weeks ago and have now won more away games in their first four matches than they managed throughout the regular season in 2015.
The result leaves Huddersfield pointless at the foot of the table alongside Leeds, their next opponents at Headingley on Friday, and their misery was compounded by yet another injury as Jamie Ellis succumbed to a shoulder problem 24 minutes into the game.
Second-rower Chris Dean took a pass from Chris Bridge to go over for the game's first try on 11 minutes, and from then on it was smooth sailing for Widnes.
Next, Brown's grubber kick forced a goal-line drop-out, and a 40-20 kick then set up the position for Marsh to score the first of his two tries, courtesy of a Brown cut-out pass.
It went from bad to worse for Huddersfield when full-back Aaron Murphy fumbled Brown's high kick to gift a try to centre Charly Runciman, and Widnes would have been further ahead had Bridge been able to take the final pass after scrum-half Joe Mellor's clean break.
The loss of Ellis, the Giants' key man in the absence of skipper Danny Brough, forced a reshuffle, with hooker Kruise Leeming forming a makeshift half-back partnership with Jake Connor.
However, the Giants stayed focused, with a 32nd-minute try from second-rower Michael Lawrence, converted by triallist Jamie Foster, briefly giving the home side hope.
But that was cancelled out moments before half-time when Huddersfield substitute Nathan Mason was sin-binned by referee James Child following a team warning, and Widnes took advantage of the extra man with second-rower Magraff Leuluai forcing his way over from close range for his side's fourth try.
After leading 22-6 at the break, the Vikings put the game to bed with two further tries inside the first seven minutes of the second half.
Runciman created the space for Marsh to score his second try and Thompson got in on the act with his fifth try of the season.
Rhys Hanbury took his goal tally to four from six attempts, and although Huddersfield pulled a try back through loose- forward Larne Patrick, Thompson went on to score his second of the match to erase its effect.
The Giants finished a badly-beaten side but they had the final say when Connor's cut-out pass enabled Foster to score a consolation try.
Watch Leeds Rhinos v Huddersfield Giants on Friday. Coverage begins on Sky Sports 2 HD at 7:30pm.
