Super League Playoffs: Wigan Warriors thump Huddersfield Giants 57-4 at DW Stadium

Wigan Warriors produced their biggest victory in playoff history thanks to a thumping 57-4 success against Huddersfield Giants to move within 80 minutes of Super League's Grand Final.

The Cherry and Whites, who had lost home and away to the Giants in the regular season, headed into the clash at the DW Stadium on the back of victories over Warrington and Leeds in their previous outings.

And the reigning champions made it three wins on the trot thanks to a comprehensive display against the side that finished level on points with them to move within sight of the Old Trafford showpiece on October 11.

The 1998, 2010 and 2013 winners led 24-0 at the break and showed no mercy by adding a further 33 second-half points with nine different try scorers to complete the rout.

England winger Josh Charnley scored twice and second rower Joel Tomkins scored his first for the club since returning from rugby union, much to the delight of younger brother Sam - back at the end of the NRL season - watching from the corporate boxes.

The Warriors' reward is a week off and a home tie in the semi-finals while Huddersfield must quickly regroup ahead of their sudden-death tie next week after suffering a 10th defeat in 13 playoff ties.

The Giants had won on seven of their 10 previous visits to the DW Stadium and ended the regular season with a seven-match unbeaten run but they were simply outclassed by a Wigan side marshalled superbly by half-backs Blake Green and Matty Smith, who finished with 21 points from a try, eight goals and a drop goal.

The Warriors' decision to open the scoring with a Smith penalty suggested a tight contest and it was the visitors who went closest to scoring the first try on their first foray into their opponents' 20-metre area, with centre Joe Wardle halted by a thunderous tackle by full-back Matt Bowen and acting captain Brett Ferres losing the ball over the line.

Devastating spell

Forced to defend throughout the opening quarter, Huddersfield were hanging on grimly until full-back Scott Grix conceded a scrum 10 metres out and that helped Wigan lay their victory platform with four tries in a devastating 13-minute spell.

Bowen's brilliant cut-out pass got Charnley over for his 22nd try in 19 appearances in 2014 and then Smith took centre stage.

First the former St Helens and Salford scrum-half burst through the attempted tackle of Shaun Lunt and sidestepped Grix for a solo score and then put substitute forward Tony Clubb through a gap for a try.

Wigan were simply irresistible at that stage and they topped an impressive first half with a long-range try, fashioned by the left-wing pairing of Dan Sarginson and teenager winger Joe Burgess and finished by second rower Liam Farrell.

With Smith converting three of the tries, the defending champions were out of sight by half-time, but the Giants gave themselves brief hope by scoring the first try of the second half.

Lunt's darting run opened up the Wigan defence and Leroy Cudjoe's kick was palmed back into his grateful arms by Craig Kopczak for the England centre to touch down for what proved to be mere consolation as the visitors were hit by four more tries in a 12-minute spell.

Smith's half-break enabled Tomkins to power his way over for his landmark score before Sarginson took a return pass from Burgess to score his side's sixth try.

The Giants could not lay their hands on the ball and they were reeling further when Wigan hit them with a 70-metre try from Bowen, fashioned by Green and Eddy Pettybourne, before Charnley ran over the unfortunate Grix to register his second try.

Skipper Sean O'Loughlin juggled with Green's pass to touch down and Burgess went the full length of the pitch after collecting a wayward kick from Luke Robinson to score for his ninth successive match.

Smith took his goal tally to eight from 11 attempts and then rounded off the scoring with a drop goal.