Betts and Widnes ready to rise to Wigan challenge

Widnes coach Denis Betts wants his team to show determination and spirit when they travel to face Wigan at the DW Stadium on Friday evening.

The Vikings still have an outside chance of a top-eight finish, but they must win both their remaining games to make sure.

That pressure makes their task at the DW an even more daunting one.

“The lads understand it’s a challenge,” said Betts.

“We also know where we are with needing wins to get us into a situation where that last game could be really important.

“We’re up for the challenge, we know it’s going to be a tough one.

“Shaun Wane’s constantly going on about wanting them to be more consistent, so he’ll be driving that this week after a great performance against Leeds at home.

“There’s probably some things Shaun wants them to do better, but he’ll see this as a way of them consolidating their season.

“They’ll want to finish as high as possible and push themselves into their play-off drive with some real good performances.

“Our job is to do the right thing by us, to turn up there and be determined, to play each play, to put effort into everything we do.”

Although the DW is a daunting venue to vists, Betts is keen for his team to embrace the situation and enjoy the challenge of playing against one of Super League‘s top sides.

“What I try and get from our players is to be excited about going and playing at a place like that,” he said.

“When you play professional sport you want to play against the likes of Wigan at Wigan on a big Friday night, with a decent crowd, where everything’s on the line and you need to win.

“It’s all on. That’s what you play the game for.”