Leeds hold on to beat Widnes in Challenge Cup

Leeds held off a Widnes fightback to progress to the quarter-finals of the Challenge Cup with a 23-20 win at the Halton Stadium.

Looking to avenge their 23-6 defeat in Super League earlier this season, the Rhinos looked on course for a comfortable win at 23-4 up in the early stages of the second half.

But the Vikings hit back with three tries in 12 minutes and came close to pinching it at the end with both Aaron Heremaia and Jordan Johnstone denied close to the line.

Off the back of six straight Super League defeats, Widnes fans appeared to vote with their feet with just 1,865 turning up for this one.

There certainly was a flat feel to the opening 10 minutes as both sides felt each other out, before Lloyd White broke through the middle and found Charly Runciman.

Rhys Hanbury backed up and was hauled down short of the line by Ashton Golding, who was sinbinned for a professional foul.

But despite going down a man, Leeds would take the lead three minutes later when Richie Myler’s kick was charged down and from the broken play, the returning Jack Walker found Tom Briscoe in the right corner.

Widnes thought they had levelled things up on 20 minutes when Ryan Ince ran on to Tom Gilmore’s kick to score in the corner, only for the touch judge on the far side to rule it out for offside.

Just as Golding was returning to the field, Leeds broke through for their second try, the impressive Stevie Ward fighting through a few defenders to find the backing up Myler to score under the posts against his hometown club.

A mistake early in the next set by Adam Cuthbertson gifted Widnes field position, and back-rower Matty Whitley got them on the board.

Leeds lost Carl Ablett through injury before Lloyd White was forced off for Widnes, and Myler tagged on a drop goal to give Leeds an 11-4 half time lead.

They upped the tempo at the start of the second half and twice broke down the left hand side to score back-to-back tries.

First Joel Moon danced around Gilmore to put Golding in via Handley, and then another rangy run by Handley resulted in Ward finding the line after Myler had kept the ball alive.

The writing seemed to be on the wall for Widnes at 23-4, but an incorrect play the ball by Mikolaj Oledzki gifted them field position, and once again it was Whitley who made the most of it, scoring his second try.

Johnstone was giving Widnes some impetus around the ruck and he took the ball close on 55 minutes before getting an unlikely offload out for Alex Gerrard to touch down on the last tackle.

And it was game on just on the hour mark as Walker spilled Gilmore’s high kick and from the free play, Hanbury took the ball on and put Runciman over on his inside.

That brought the Vikings back within three points, with Gilmore having missed a kickable conversion attempt, and they turned down a further two points in front of the posts with less than 10 minutes to go.

As time ticked by, Leeds clung on, Walker bringing down Johnstone who had broken through, with Heremaia just unable to cling on to his offload.

And then with less than two minutes left, Heremaia hopped and skipped his way through and thought he had got the ball down, only for the referee to rule he had knocked on.

The Rhinos held on to secure their place in Sunday’s quarter-final draw.

Widnes: Hanbury, Ince, Runciman, Chamberlain, Marsh, Gilmore, Heremaia, Gerrard, White, Burke, Whitley, Wilde, Cahill. Subs: Leuluai, Olbison, Wellington, Johnstone.

Leeds: Walker, Briscoe, Watkins, Handley, Golding, Moon, Myler, Oldezki, Parcell, Cuthbertson, Ablett, Ward, Jones-Buchanan. Subs: Peteru, Mullally, Dwyer, Ferres.