Setaimata Sa scored on his debut
Former Hull and Catalans Dragons second rower Setaimata Sa scored two first-half tries on debut to put Widnes on their way to a 24-16 first-round win over Wakefield in the First Utility Super League.
The Vikings enjoyed three comfortable wins over the Wildcats in 2015 but they were made to work hard this time as Brian Smith's new-look side provided glimpses of hope that they can avoid another wooden spoon. Inevitably, the Vikings were indebted to a typically influential contribution from skipper Kevin Brown while full-back Rhys Hanbury scored a try and kicked his first goals for the club since 2013.
Hanbury made his mark from the start, collecting the ball from the kick-off to produce a scything run through the heart of the Wakefield defence, but Widnes did not make the most of the opportunity and it was the Wildcats who drew first blood.
Hooker Stuart Howarth, deputising for the injured Scott Moore, caught the visitors' defence napping with a determined run from dummy half on six minutes to score his second try for the club. The Vikings drew level midway through the first half when Brown worked Sa over for his first try and Hanbury kicked the first of his four conversions.
There was not much to choose between the teams for most of the first half and, had debutant prop Anthony England been able to hang onto the ball as he charged for the line, Wakefield might have gone back in front. But Widnes demonstrated some clinical finishing and seized the initiative with two further tries in an ultimately decisive four-minute spell just before the break.
Brown and hooker Lloyd White combined in neat handling move to get Hanbury over and Sa pounced on a mix-up between Wakefield winger Tom Johnstone and full-back Ben Jones-Bishop to go in for his second try.
Trailing 18-4, Wakefield got themselves back in contention three minutes into the second half when winger Reece Lyne went over out wide after smart work from second rower Jon Molloy, with Liam Finn cutting the gap to eight points with the conversion. But a third handling error by Jones-Bishop put the home side under pressure and White made the most if it by stretching out of Anthony Tupou's tackle to score a Widnes' fourth try.
Jones-Bishop made amends on 66 minutes when he combined with Finn to get hooker Michael Sio over for Wakefield's third try and Finn kicked a third goal. Widnes almost scored again when lively scrum-half Joe Mellor went on a jinking run but centre Charly Runicman could not take his crossfield kick with the line open.
