Widnes insist their artificial pitch did not contribute to an Achilles injury sustained by Ben Kavanagh during the Vikings’ 38-18 home defeat by Salford City Reds.

The back-row forward is facing a six-month lay-off after snapping his Achilles tendon in only the second Stobart Super League match to be played on the iPitch at the Stobart Stadium.

Wakefield Trinity Wildcats full-back Richard Mathers labelled the surface “a joke” and posted pictures of his grazed elbows and knees on Twitter following his team’s opening-day win over Widnes, and several Salford players were given permission to play in tights yesterday.

But the Vikings have issued a statement insisting Kavanagh’s injury was consistent with a normal Achilles injury, the result of “pushing off to sprint”.

“The club wishes to state that this is an unfortunate injury but has no direct link to the performance of the pitch,” said a Widnes spokesman.