Warriors cut down Giants

Carmont scores for the Warriors.

Sam Tomkins scored a hat-trick as Wigan crushed play-off rivals Huddersfield 46-12 at the DW Stadium.

The champions' emphatic victory in front of a 19,169 crowd took the Warriors above the Giants into second place in the Super League table.

It was Huddersfield's heaviest Super League defeat under coach Nathan Brown and confirmed that Wigan are once again the side to beat as the play-offs loom.

Tomkins was the hero with three of his side's eight tries and he was a constant thorn in the Giants' side with his electrifying bursts of pace and elusive side-steps.

Huddersfield, who went into the match a point ahead of their hosts, had won on their previous three visits to the DW Stadium but never suggested they could make it four.

Their problems began well before kick-off when their coach broke down on the motorway on the way to the ground and they were forced to continue their journey in taxis.

Although they arrived in good time for kick-off, they were slow to react to the speed and footwork of Tomkins, who combined with George Carmont to get Pat Richards into space and was on hand to take the final pass to open the scoring after only two minutes.

The England full-back showed he is not infallible by allowing David Faiumu's kick to go through his legs to concede a drop-out and Huddersfield made the most of the attacking position to draw level.

Winger David Hodgson took a cut-out pass from a fellow Wigan old boy Kevin Brown to grab his seventh try in his last five Super League matches and Scott Grix kicked the touchline conversion.

Firm grip

But Tomkins and Wigan quickly put that setback behind them to take a firm grip on the game by half-time.

Tomkins grabbed his second try, slicing between Joe Wardle and Jermaine McGillvary with effortless ease, and profited from a kind ricochet to send Carmont over.

With hooker Thomas Leuluai burrowing his way over from dummy half and the dangerous Brett Finch carving out a try for Richards, the champions were in cruise control at 28-6.

Huddersfield were more competitive in the second half and held the Warriors at bay until the 55th minute, when right winger Josh Charnley gathered Paul Deacon's kick to touch down at the corner.

Prop Lee Mossop added a seventh try on 66 minutes before second rower Danny Kirmond scored a consolation try for the visitors. Tomkins had the final say, however, when he completed his hat-trick five minutes from the end with a superb individual score and Richards took his goal tally to seven from eight attempts.