Widnes Vikings League Placings : 2000-24

With promotion and relegation in UK Rugby league, teams can have a patchy record in the top flight. A few simply haven't done enough to figure in this series but the Widnes Viking just made the cut. A club with a fine legacy has fallen somewhat in recent times. From the mid 70's to the early 90's it was one of the best.

It fell out of the top flight in 1995 but returned in 2002. That year it was one place short of a finals berth but from there it was a steady decline, ending with relegation in 2005. Neil Kelly had taken charge in 2001 and was Super League coach of the year in 2002 but had to go due to the deteriorating on-field results. Frank Endacott stepped in for the 2005 season but to no avail.

Denis Betts came to the club with it in the second division Championship and while they got the wooden spoon in 2012, they were spared the drop because promotion-relegation wasn't operational at that time. By 2017, a system known as the Qualifiers was being used and although coming last in the league that year, survived the drop. It wasn't as fortunate in 2018, unable to stave off relegation in the playoffs. 

Francis Cummins took charge for the last nine games of the 2018 season but couldn't save them. Early in 2019, the club went into administration and while narrowly avoiding liquidation had 12 points deducted as a penalty. The club is nowhere near getting back into Super League in the foreseeable future. 

RL; The Evolving Game

France took to RL c 1934 and by the outbreak of WW II, were a top international team. That couldn't happen today. Looking at some of the rules (many before my time) showed what a different game it was. I'm not a rules nerd but try to keep up. So as I see it:

After the war the game had zero to five yard defensive lines, depending on rule changes over time. No replacements became two for injuries. There was no limit on tackles, you only lost possession for rule breaches. The game was slower, the impacts less intense.

Over the years ten metre defensive lines, limited tackle, four rotating replacements, six again calls. The game is super fast, players need to be fit, muscled and think very quickly. It works in a pro comp but doesn't work when sides are mismatched as evidenced in WC internationals. Pitting full time athletes against part time and amateur players is producing one sided score lines and few if any upsets. 

The solution: In horse racing they have a handicap system but I can't see that being adopted in RL. So I'd propose two WC divisions, each of eight teams with promotion / relegation between them. Putting Jamaica up against NZ or Greece against Samoa isn't right.

Summary: RL rules have evolved over time to suit a pro comp. They are then used in internationals but they are not designed for such uneven playing rosters. Even a moderate difference in standard can quickly blow out a to huge, lopsided score line. The WC was once played by fewer sides with closer matches. The desire to bring more teams in like other codes is good, but it doesn't work in a game which rewards superiority to an extreme degree. 

World Cup 2021 : Round Three (Mens)

The Third round of the RL WC 2021 has nearly been completed. I've been watching closely and here are my candid observations which I will share. Some games are still to be played, updated soon.

Group A:

England 94-4 Greece. 

Greece had an amazing journey to get here but was no chance. However, a clunky England and a polished Greece effort had the score only 10-4 to England after 20 minutes. Then England got into gear and the scoreline raced to 44-4 by half time. 

Greece was brave but part timers and amateurs were always going to struggle with the pace of the game and the final score reflected that. Not a perfect game by England and next week(s) will test them. 

Samoa 62-4 France.

Could the French team put off an upset against a disappointing Samoa? The latter started better and took an early 16-0 lead. France came back but couldn't convert anything into points. Then Samoa came back and suddenly the half time score of 28-0.  

The second half didn't change anything, France showing little penetration and Samoa turning both chances and half chances into points. The scoreline didn't reflect the effort France put in but the modern game is ruthless like that.

Group B: 

Australia 66-6 Italy. 

Another big victory on the cards but it was 'only' 20-0 after the first 30 minutes. Then a couple of tries on half time had it blow out to 30-0 at the turn around. The UK ref was in awe of the Kangaroos as usual.

The second half was a continuance with Italy scoring a slick try. The ref continued with his 'never give the lesser side an even break' mentality. I sped through some of the second half due to that. Italy worked hard and deserved better officiating. 

Fiji 30-14 Scotland. (Picture above).

A comfortable win for Fiji Bati was on the cards, a slippery ground perhaps a bit of a leveler. The scoreline of 12-4 to Fiji after 30 minutes and 18-8 at the break was a nice surprise for the Bravehearts. With better goal kicking for Scotland...

Scotland having a player sin binned for an accidental high hit cost them. With 15 minutes to go, the score was an amazing 24-14 and as the game started to get feisty one from each side was sin binned. Scotland have been so poor this tournament but this was a level or two up for them. Fiji didn't seem to cope so well with the wet conditions. 

Group C: 

Lebanon 74-12 Jamaica. 

The less fancied Jamaica started brightly but once the Cedars got hold of the ball, they were slick. They led 30-0 at the quarter mark as Jamaica's defensive frailties were harshly exposed. Jamaica expertly regained the ball from their numerous kick offs but their attacking forays were effectively dealt with. 

Lebanon had a player sin binned at the end of the first half for a cheap shot. 42-0 at the half time hooter.

Lebanon took off their leading player for the second stanza with an eye on next week. Despite being a player down, Lebanon was still in control. Then suddenly a length of the field try got the Reggae Warriors on the scoreboard. They got another too but unfortunately for them kept conceding

New Zealand 48-10 Ireland. 

The Kiwis were hot favourites but for the first 15 minutes it was the Wolfhounds that lead, albeit by two points. Five minutes later it was 10-2 to NZ. After 30 minutes it was 16-6 so not the score most expected. 24-6 was the turn around score.

The Kiwis took control, helped by some 'kindly' calls by the referee and Ireland having some head injuries reducing their bench. 44-6 with about a quarter of the match to play looked ominous. However, a clunky NZ effort limited the damage. 

The sport is supposed to be cleaning up itself regarding head shots, but this game showed its resolve - at this tournament at least - on this is unacceptably feeble.

Group D: 

Tonga 92-10 Cook Is. 

The favoured Tongan team scored quickly but then a 'try' to the Kukis was denied which I thought it was OK. Anyway, Tonga stamped their authority on the game and the scores were soon rattling up. 52-0 at the half way point!

The second half had the Kukis getting a few points but they couldn't handle the Tongan forwards throughout and paid the price. The Cook Is coach said they just didn't turn up and apologised for the performance. 

PNG 36-0 Wales. 

PNG wanted to confirm their place in the next round with Wales an outside chance with a big score win. The rain poured down, making handling difficult. Still, PNG soon showed their class while Wales struggled to put pressure on their opponent. By half time, it was 24-0 to the Kumuls with Wales looking naive at times.

The second half was better for Wales but I don't know how long the game would have to been played for them to score. Solid defence by PNG and clunky attack by Wales ensured PNG didn't concede.