Huddersfield Giants gained a vital 12-18 victory tonight at Hull Kingston Rovers, easing their relegation fears while piling on the agony for their hosts.
Both sides played cautiously in the first half, with the Giants looking nervous early on.
Rovers took the lead in the seventh minute when Kane Linnett touched down Josh Drinkwater’s grubber, with Craig Hall converting.
But the Giants responded five minutes later when Matty English touched down an Adam O’Brien grubber, with Darnell McIntosh adding the goal.
In the next 25 minutes the Giants probably carved out the best chance, but McIntosh couldn’t hold Ukuma Ta’ai’s inside pass on the break, and the opportunity was missed as the sides went in 6-6 at the break.
In the second half the Giants took the lead when Alex Mellor touched down after a superb pass from Lee Gaskell. McIntosh couldn’t convert, but he added two penalties to put his side eight points ahead.
The Robins responded when Danny McGuire gave a superb pass for Criag Hall to score and convert his own try from near touch.
But the Giants snatched the victory when Jermaine McGillvary did superbly to touch down a Gaskell grubber. And even though McIntosh couldn’t convert, the Giants hung on in a thrilling final five minutes to claim the win.
Rovers: Adam Quinlan, Craig Hall, Jimmy Keinhorst, Kane Linnett, Ben Crooks, Danny McGuire, Josh Drinkwater, Dan Murray, Danny Addy, Robbie Mulhern, Joel Tomkins, Weller Hauraki, George Walker; Subs: Chris Atkin, Mitch Garbutt, Mose Masoe, Owen Harrison
Tries: Linnett, Hall Goals: Hall 2
Giants: Darnell McIntosh, Jermaine McGillvary, Jake Wardle, Louis Senior, Innes Senior, Lee Gaskell, Tom Holmes, Adam Walne, Adam O’Brien, Matty English, Ukuma Ta’ai, Alex Mellor, Michael Lawrence; Subs: Kruise Leeming, Oliver Wilson, Aaron Murphy, Suaia Matagi.
Tries: English, Mellor, McGillvary Goals: McIntosh 3
A full report from tonight’s game, with photos, comment and analysis, will feature in Monday’s edition of League Express.