Super League: Huddersfield Giants stun Warrington Wolves as Leigh Leopards power past Catalans Dragons
Huddersfield Giants stunned Warrington Wolves to earning just their second Super League victory this season; Leigh Leopards also stormed to a dominant 26-12 win over Catalans Dragons.
Last Updated: 21/06/25 8:57pm
Huddersfield stunned Warrington with a 24-16 win to claim a second Super League victory of the season with Jacob Gagai's two tries bookending the Giants' triumph.
It was a sticky afternoon in more ways than one for Wire - although unfortunately not when it came to their handling, with a number of unforced errors proving costly - as predicted thunderstorms gave way to sunny, humid conditions at the Halliwell Jones Stadium.
Despite a late surge with two tries in the closing 15 minutes, Warrington couldn't catch the team that were winless until just last month.
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"I'm overjoyed for the players and fans," Huddersfield head coach Luke Robinson said. "I'm overjoyed for the players in particular because I don't think people realise how hard they have been working.
"It's very easy to turn on each other, turn on your coach, when you are not winning games and they have been unbelievably steadfast in their culture.
"We probably should have won about four or five games like that earlier in the season so to actually come out of the other side it's a real mental hurdle for us.
"What we have to try to do now is keep that momentum and keep that form."
Huddersfield lost back-rower Sam Hewitt to a head injury after three minutes and despite some early unforced errors giving the hosts plenty of possession, it was Huddersfield who were more clinical.
George Williams' 15th-minute mistake saw his pass intercepted 10 yards from Huddersfield's line by Tui Lolohea who ran 50 yards before offloading to Gagai to cross.
Jake Bibby doubled the lead, spinning over from Sam Halsall's pass, after Warrington, who gave a debut to Sam Stone after he joined on loan from Salford, had conceded a penalty for Jordy Crowther's late hit on Matt Frawley.
The mistakes kept coming and Giants' short drop-out backfired with a knock-on which gave the hosts a scrum in front of the posts, and Marc Sneyd weaved his way over and then landed the kick to halve the deficit.
George Flanagan's penalty extended the lead to 14-6 on the half-hour as the visitors finished the half strongly.
On the hooter Crowther made an accusation of eye gouging, resulting in Taane Milne being put on report with the video referee unable to find any evidence.
Another Warrington handling error, this time from Jake Thewlis, presented Giants with the scrum allowing Milne to score his first try for the club and Flanagan's kick opened up a 14-point lead.
Huddersfield suffered another blow when Ashton Golding departed with a neck injury but it appeared to make no impact as Flanagan's brilliant burst forward allowed Lolohea to touch down, only to be denied by an obstruction ruling.
If Warrington hoped that could have been a pivotal moment, Gagai killed off their hopes with a last-ditch tackle to prevent Toby King diving in at the corner before crossing himself at the other end to send home fans heading for the exits.
King did eventually get his try to leave the hosts 12 behind with as many minutes remaining and then Thewlis dived over but, with a frantic finish in the offing, Sneyd's missed kick left the hosts too much to do as their season continued to unravel with a fifth defeat in six matches.
Catalans slide continues against Leigh
Leigh condemned Catalans Dragons to their seventh straight defeat in all competitions with a 26-12 victory in sweltering conditions at the Stade Gilbert Brutus.
Although the worst losing streak in their history continued, there were some signs of recovery as the Dragons kept pace with Leigh until late in the second half.
As for Leopards, roared on by a vocal 1,600 supporters in Perpignan, they look a shoo-in for a Super League play-off spot and will fear no one if they can keep their players fit at the end of the season.
Leigh crossed 10 minutes before the interval when Lachlan Lam and full-back David Armstrong created the space for Tesi Niu to sprint over on the left from 10 metres out. Gareth O'Brien converted from the touchline for a 6-0 lead.
Leigh soon doubled their advantage when Lam spun the ball to the opposite flank for winger Keanan Brand to score in the right corner, with O'Brien again converting.
The Dragons soon opened their account as giant prop Tevita Pangai Junior crashed over the line from short range just before half-time.
The try of the game came from the hosts eight minutes after the interval when Tommy Makinson finished off a flourishing attack involving Luke Keary and Oliver Partington, and a stunning pass out wide from Sam Tomkins.
Makinson's conversion levelled the score but he missed a second penalty in the 55th which would have put the Dragons ahead.
Pangai Junior was sin-binned in the 65th minute for late and high contact on O'Brien. The penalty bounced back from the posts and Leigh regathered to put prop Joe Ofahengaue over from short range to regain the lead at 18-12.
And in the 72nd minute, full-back Armstrong set off on a blistering 60-metre break, racing around his opposite number Tomkins for the killer try.
O'Brien converted to extend Leigh's advantage to 24-12, before adding a 79th-minute penalty to complete the scoring.
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