SAINTS boss Justin Holbrook admitted that his side had not been at their best in the Magic win over Widnes, but was nevertheless content with the two points.

The leaders scored some smartly taken tries in the 38-18 victory, but it was never the exhibition points spree that some had anticipated, with Vikings proving to be dogged opponents.

Holbrook said: "We were a little bit off with some of our passing and a little bit off defensively in the first half but I am happy with the win

“People don’t give Widnes enough credit.

“I know they haven’t been winning but I watched last week’s game and they were unlucky not to beat Leeds in the Challenge Cup.

“If they had done then it would have been a different week for us.

“We came here knowing they hadn’t be winning games and everyone had automatically given us the win. That can make it hard for players.

“I thought at half time it was really close but in the second half I thought we really dominated and came away with a good win.

There was a feeling of being underwhelmed by the way the game panned out – but a recognition that these patches come.

“When you come to this venue you want to play the best game you can as a player. Obviously we did that last year and everyone sets high standards but you cannot hit those every week. I am happy to get the win,” he said.

He singled out Dom Peyroux, who set up the first try for Danny Richardson, for praise, adding: “Regan Grace and Danny Richardson both played well for us today – and I thought Dom Peyroux had his best game for us.

"He set a really high standard which was great.”