HUDDERSFIELD GIANTS 10 WIGAN WARRIORS 24
JACOB KILBRIDE, Accu Stadium, Friday
IF ever a scoreline failed to tell the story of the match, it was this.
As Wigan celebrated victory by a three-score margin, Huddersfield were left reeling from what might have been.
Locked in at 10-10 with a dozen minutes to go, the Giants could so easily have been ahead through an incredible counter-attacking Niall Evalds try, only for a penalty to go against them in backfield.
As champion sides so often to do, Wigan found a way, Adam Keighran nudging them in front with that kick and then converting two late Zach Eckersley tries to continue their fight for the League Leaders’ Shield and secure an eighth straight win ahead of next Friday’s derby against St Helens.
For Huddersfield, the successive defeat count now rolls onto twelve, though their supporters may feel more optimism than ever this year, having come so close to completing the double over the Challenge Cup winners.
Those Giants may have had flashbacks to that famous 34-16 victory at The Brick Community Stadium back in March – one of their only two wins registered this year in Super League – when Taane Milne gave the Giants a 15th-minute lead.
Some clever deception by Zac Woolford saw the nine go down the shortside to beat the markers before Sam Hewitt’s back-of-the-hand pass put Milne over.
Milne’s joy was quickly tempered when conceding a penalty in possession for holding Brad O’Neill’s leg in the ruck, laying the field position for Oliver Partington to reach an arm across the line from Keighran’s short pass.
Keighran seamlessly stepped into the halves with George Marsden sidelined by a head-injury assessment, which he later passed, sending a sublime catch-and-pass cut-out ball into Eckersley on the right flank to put Wigan in front.
The Giants remained well in the fight, even if that meant that tempers boiled over as at the end of the first half, Tui Lolohea and Shea O’Connor were both sin-binned for their part in a back-play scuffle.
Wigan were posing little in attack through the second half’s early exchanges, leading only courtesy of some tame Huddersfield last-tackle plays – until the 55th minute, that is.
A fine run of wide passes through the hands of Lolohea, Harry Rushton and Kieran Rush saw Jacob Gagai barge through Eckersley, Keighran and Jai Field in the left corner.
George Flanagan – utilised as 18th man when Tanguy Zenon failed an HIA through foul play – nailed the touchline conversion to level matters.
With a dozen minutes to go, the contest changed on a solitary, huge play.
Finally threatening inside Giants territory, Marsden lost the ball while seeking to squirm through the line, allowing Flanagan to sprint through the broken line, feeding Gagai before the supporting Niall Evalds applied the finish.
Referee Matty Lynn however first called a forward pass against Flanagan, then Wigan used their Captain’s Challenge and video replays showed a high shot by Rushton on Marsden.
Keighran elected to take the easy two and against the run of play, Wigan were back in front.
The Warriors invited the hosts back into the contest when Field dropped a Lolohea kick on his ten, only for Huddersfield to spurn the chance when Fenton Rogers conjured a play-one knock-on.
Joe Greenwood was yellow carded for dissent against a penalty decision seconds later, with Wigan capitalising on the numerical advantage and Eckersley completing his hat-trick.
The winger dropped on a Harry Smith grubber for his second before dotting down a short-side play thanks to neat work by O’Neill and George O’Loughlin.
GAMESTAR: Adam Keighran was a constant running threat for Huddersfield and the perfect makeshift halfback in George Marsden’s absence, providing two sublime assists.
GAMEBREAKER: After Joe Greenwood was brandished a yellow card late on, Wigan took full advantage, with Zach Eckersley finishing a Harry Smith grubber before Adam Keighran’s conversion put some daylight between the two teams.
HIGHLIGHT REEL: The Accu Stadium burst into life after George Flanagan’s mazy break set up Jacob Gagai to put Niall Evalds over the whitewash, only to see the referee call a forward pass. Margins have never felt finer for Huddersfield supporters.
ALBERT GOLDTHORPE POINTS
3 pts Adam Keighran (Wigan)
2 pts Zach Eckersley (Wigan)
1 pt Jacob Gagai (Huddersfield)
MATCHFACTS
GIANTS
1 Niall Evalds
4 Taane Milne
3 Jacob Gagai
34 Connor Wrench
29 Tanguy Zenon
6 Tui Lolohea
18 Kieran Rush
14 Fenton Rogers
9 Zac Woolford
8 Tristan Powell
12 Sam Hewitt
43 Zane Dunford
13 Harry Rushton
Subs (all used)
16 George King
17 Joe Greenwood
20 Mathieu Cozza
40 Cole Geyer
18th man (used)
21 George Flanagan
Also in 20-man squad
15 Matty English
42 Lewis Jagger
Tries: Milne (16), Gagai (55)
Goals: Rush 0/1, Flanagan 1/1
Sin bin: Lolohea (38) – fighting, Greenwood (75) – dissent
WARRIORS
1 Jai Field
2 Zach Eckersley
3 Adam Keighran
4 Jake Wardle
38 Austin Daniel
36 George Marsden
7 Harry Smith
8 Ethan Havard
9 Brad O’Neill
10 Luke Thompson
23 Kian McDermott
17 Oliver Partington
13 Kaide Ellis
Subs (all used)
15 Patrick Mago
25 Taylor Kerr
33 George O’Loughlin
41 Shea O’Connor
18th man (not used)
20 Sam Eseh
Also in 21-man squad
27 Lukas Mason
34 Finlay Yeomans
37 Josh Cartwright
Tries: Partington (22), Eckersley (32, 77, 80)
Goals: Keighran 4/5
Sin bin: O’Connor (38) – fighting
SCORING SEQUENCE: 4-0, 4-6, 4-10; 10-10, 10-12, 10-18, 10-24
Rugby Leaguer & League Express Men of the Match
Giants: Jacob Gagai; Warriors: Adam Keighran
Penalty count: 7-10
Half-time: 4-10
Referee: Matty Lynn