Saints v Giants: Teams

Huddersfield will be hoping to end St Helens' dominance in the Carnegie Challenge Cup when they take on the reigning champions on Sunday.

Saints go into Sunday's semi-final at the Halliwell Jones Stadium having not lost a cup tie in more than four years.

However, coach Mick Potter is expecting a stern test against a Giants side who have the best defensive record in Super League this season.

Under the leadership of Nathan Brown, a former team-mate of Potter's, the Yorkshire club have bounced back from a disappointing 2008 to sit third in the table.

Huddersfield - who lost in the 2006 final to cup kings St Helens - also go into the match in fine form having won their last six outings.

Good job

"I worked with Nathan at St George Illawarra and he was always a good coach so it shouldn't be a surprise to anyone that Huddersfield have developed so well," said Potter.

"He's certainly getting the best out of his players. The Giants have done a good job over the last couple of seasons and they're reaching their potential this year.

"They defend very well and they slow the ruck down enormously so we need to counter their tactics.

"They've got some good attack as well. They play with a lot of shape and a lot of movement around the ball."

The Giants don't have happy memories of semi-finals at Warrington's home ground having lost 46-6 at the same stage of the competition back in 2004.

Eorl Crabtree is the only survivor for Huddersfield from that game and the forward is determined to make sure there is no repeat result this time around.

"It was horrible to play in. It was one of those games you want to forget about, as was the 2006 final," he said.

"They've had the hoodoo over us but we're a different team now. We've learned a lot along the way."

Tough choices

Huddersfield boss Brown faces some tough choices over his starting line-up with only Andy Raleigh, who is ruled out through injury, and the cup-tied Danny Sculthorpe missing.

Crabtree, Darrell Griffin, Paul Whatuira and Stephen Wild, who turned down a move to St Helens two years ago, all return to the 19-man squad after missing last week's 24-0 win over Hull FC.

Meanwhile, Saints could welcome back Sean Long from a broken jaw after Potter named the scrum-half in his 19-man party.

Keiron Cunningham is also included despite struggling with a knee injury. James Roby is ruled out with a broken hand but Bryn Hargreaves and Chris Dean have overcome mumps and gastroenteritis respectively.

St Helens squad: Wellens, Gardner, Gidley, Meli, Pryce, Long, Cunningham, Graham, Gilmour, Wilkin, Flannery, Hargreaves, Puletua, Clough, Eastmond, Dean, Dixon, Ashurst, Emmitt

Huddersfield squad: Brett Hodgson, Brown, Whatuira, David Hodgson, Fulton, Robinson, Crabtree, Faiumu, Griffin, Lolesi, Wild, Finnigan, Jackson, Mason, Kirmond, Lawrence, Moore, Cudjoe, Lunt