Widnes Vikings defeat Toulouse Olympique in Championship

A Vikings side shorn of nine starters completed a 2025 Championship double over the full-time French side with Saturday night’s 24-4 success at the DCBL Stadium.

Toulouse, who suffered only their third loss of the league campaign, were put to the sword by Vikings in a first half in which they established an 18-4 lead and then produced a sterling backs-to-the-wall second-half effort to secure their first home win for four months.

The victory leaves Vikings ninth in a tightly crammed middle order, just one point outside of the play-offs places.

“I’m buzzing after that,” said Vikings head coach Allan Coleman.

“We’re doing it tougher than anybody with probably nine starting players missing from this team at the minute.

“We probably won’t see five of them again this year but does it bother us? No, we still have that attitude and energy to put a performance in.

“And I thought this performance was like going to war. When you go to war, you need people who just put their body on the line and never give up or never take anything for granted.

“That typifies that on Saturday. We were 24-4 up, busted, out on our feet, had to come out of yardage constantly in the second half and had to defend our line constantly – and it was pure honesty and pure desire. That’s what I’ve got with this group.”

He fired back at critics saying: “I know we’ve not been great this year and fans have said that, but be realistic and look at where we’re at at the minute.

“I’m really proud of the players. And I can’t thank the players enough, and their clubs, who have come in and helped us this week.

“We’re one point off the play-offs in a so-called disaster season, so I’ll leave that with them.”

Adam Lawton bagged a hat-trick of tries for Vikings in the third, ninth and 64th minutes, with Rhys Williams also touching down (39mins).

Vikings return to action against Oldham in a game moved from Boundary Park to Sedgley Park Rugby Union ground in Whitefield on Sunday, kick-off 3pm.