HUDDERSFIELD GIANTS 14 ST HELENS 44
LORRAINE MARSDEN, Laund Hill, Sunday

A STRONG second-half showing from St Helens made sure the four-time Challenge Cup winners got this year’s tilt at the trophy off to a winning start.

Despite Huddersfield’s best efforts, it was Saints who went ahead inside the first ten minutes when Katie Mottershead scooted over.

Faye Gaskin added the extras but was beaten by the wind ten minutes later when Shona Hoyle-Holdsworth powered over for the visitors’ second.

With their momentum building, Saints they thought they had further increased their lead through Erin McDonald, but the score was ruled out due to a double movement.

Instead the only other try of the half went to the Giants’ Mollie Iceton, who took full advantage of back-to-back penalties to crash over wide out, with Sam Hulme adding her only conversion of the game.

Vicky Whitfield increased Saints’ lead within four minutes of the restart, Gaskin goaling, but Huddersfield soon hit back when an error from Saints allowed the ball to be worked right for Amelia Brown to race away and reduce the arrears to six points.

But a burst of three Saints tries, the first two improved by Gaskin, put the game to bed.

Hoyle-Holdsworth and Whitfield both crossed for their second of the afternoon, before Leah Burke marked her first appearance since October 2024 with a touchdown.

When Huddersfield’s Hannah Watt was sinbinned for a high shot, Saints made them pay through Hoyle-Holdsworth’s hat-trick score before Liv Leach – on for her debut in place of the injured Phoebe Hook – dived in. Gaskin added two further conversions.

There was still time though for the hosts to pull one back through Iceton, but Becky Grady missed the conversion.

GIANTS: 1 Amelia Brown, 2 Faye Barraclough, 15 Georgia Cussons, 4 Fran Copley, 5 Mollie Iceton, 6 Becky Grady, 26 Liv Gale, 8 Gracie Hobbs, 9 Megan Preston, 10 Lauren Exley, 11 Amy Bennett, 12 Maddy Hutchison, 24 Hannah Watt. Subs (all used): 7 Sam Hulme, 14 Jess Harrap, 17 Kacy Haley, 27 Caitlin Cox

Tries: Iceton (39, 76), Brown (48); Goals: Hulme 1/2, Grady 0/1; Sin bin: Watt (65) – high tackle

SAINTS: 1 Rebecca Rotheram, 2 Phoebe Hook, 21 Hollie Bawden, 3 Rachael Woosey, 5 Leah Burke, 6 Zoe Harris, 7 Faye Gaskin, 11 Shona Hoyle-Holdsworth, 9 Katie Mottershead, 16 Erin McDonald, 14 Paige Travis, 12 Emily Rudge, 13 Jodie Cunningham. Subs (all used): 8 Vicky Whitfield, 17 Caitlin Casey, 20 Alyx Bridge, 23 Liv Leach

Tries: Mottershead (8), Hoyle-Hodsworth (19, 55, 68), Whitfield (44, 59), Burke (64), Leach (73); Goals: Gaskin 6/8

SCORING SEQUENCE: 0-6, 0-10, 6-10; 6-16, 10-16, 10-22, 10-28, 10-32, 10-38, 10-44, 14-44

Half-time: 6-10