SUPER League is back and the first week of fixtures made me reminisce about how rugby used to be - cold blustering winds, torrential rain, boggy pitches and an array of retro hair styles.

The only difference between the Widnes game and the games of yesteryear is we left the pitch with the same amount of teeth as when we entered the field! (I think).

The opening fixture was a good test for us and despite the saturated pitch I believe we played some enterprising stuff at times.

I thought we scored some great tries, especially Darren Albert's score courtesy of Jamie Lyons boot.

The game was also punctuated by strong runs by the evergreen Paul Anderson.

(He forced me to add evergreen or else he would steal my dinner money.)

Seriously Paul Anderson, or Baloo as he likes to be known, has been a breath of fresh air. His attitude towards training has been first class.

Post match at Saints, through the mud and wet, everyone seemed happy with the result and in a buoyant mood; this was until it became apparent there was no hot water in the showers.

We needed someone to blame for using the hot water. I blame Paul Wellens - he obviously got in early to use the hot water to shampoo his hair to ensure that volume and shine he is renowned for!

It's amazing how much mud your body can carry around. Ade Gardner had the Knowsley Road in-goal area in his ears, it's probably still there!

We travel to Leeds this week and I know everyone is really excited about the game.

Leeds have just been crowned world champs so all the pressure is on them.

Jon Wilkin