Widnes release 2018 competition shirt

Widnes Vikings have released a special competition shirt for this season and it has Papua New Guinean links to it.

The shirt carries the club’s traditional black and white colours and incorporates a hooped design.

It commemorates the ‘Cup Kings’ era in the 70s and 80s, where similar styled shirts were worn at Wembley.

Papua New Guinea has links to the shirt as well, given the connection between the two communities following the arrivals of Kumuls stars Wellington and Stanton Albert as well as the tragic passing of Kato Ottio.

In honour of this, the right sleeve displays the phrase ‘Yumi work Bung wantim’, which is used in tandem with Widnes’ Pasin Membership for their Papua New Guinean supporters, with the English translation of ‘together as one’ being emblazoned on the other sleeve.

The competition shirt will be used for the Vikings’ Ladbrokes Challenge Cup campaign and the Super 8s or the Qualifiers.

Widnes will wear their new shirt for the first time on Saturday when they welcome League 1 side Coventry Bears to the Halton Stadium in the fifth round of the Ladbrokes Challenge Cup, 1pm kick-off.