In a superb clash between two of the league’s top four, Huddersfield made the Champions work for their win.
The victory keeps the Saints top of the league and is vital for them as they go for every trophy possible in 2o22. However, it showed that the Giants aren’t far away from Kristian Woolf’s men.
Highlights:
Giants defence makes things for tough
Defence never gets the credit it deserves in our great game and today we should commend Huddersfield’s defensive efforts especially in the opposition 20. It’s a part of the field many players switch off in defensively but to beat the Saints, this area of defence has to be immaculate to stop them getting a role on and the Giants did this really well for most of the game on the back of a few early kicks from Jack Cogger.
Bennison waltzes over
Jon Bennison showed the composure of a season veteran to open the scoring. After a great break by Konrad Hurrell, the ball was shifted out wide to Bennison who could’ve panicked as Giants cover came across and dived for the corner but instead he used his quick feet to leave the defence for dead to scamper in. One for the future certainly.
Lolohea lengther
Today saw arguably the league’s two inform fullbacks battle it out in the Easter sun and both shone. As Saints looked to pull further ahead after a Jack Welsby assist put Mark Percival over at the start of the second half, Welsby again looked to get Saints over but as he lunged towards the tryline attempting to get the ball free, it went to ground with Tui Lolohea picking up and going the length of the field to score in the corner making it 12-14 giving the Giants a chance at shocking the Champions.
Makinson’s huge tackle
With a quarter of the game to go, Huddersfield were building some momentum and looking to break down the left edge with the Senior twins. But a despairing tackle by Tommy Makinson ended the Giants’ attack and gave the Champions the ball in the Huddersfield half. Shortly after, Makinson would be converting Joe Batchelor’s try to give the Saints an eight-point lead.
Talking Points:
1. Can’t give this Saints team an inch
Huddersfield started the game perfectly in the opening few minutes. They routinely turned the Saints around with some early kicks and kept them restricted to their own half with a superb defensive effort. They even had the first attacking opportunity but squandered it giving away a 20 metre restart. From this, the Saints turned the game around using their size, speed and seven tackle set to roll down field and eventually score. A reminder that to beat this Saints side you have to practically be perfect because give them an inch and they will take a mile.
2. Welsby takes on extra responsibilities
With Lewis Dodd unavailable, the always brilliant Saints skipper James Roby moved to scrum-half and did a superb job but credit has to be given to Jack Welsby too. He took on extra responsibilities in today’s huge game against an in form Giants side. A young man himself learning the fullback role, he showed wisdom beyond his years to take on the first receiver role at times and put in some smart kicks in Dodd’s absence. He also did the traditional fullback role as well as ever with some great kick returns.
3. Warning shot for Huddersfield
The Giants may have lost today but their performance was a warning to the Saints and the rest of the league that they could be the real deal in 2022. A strong performance physically and some superb defence all over the field demonstrated that the Giants have the tools to make the all-conquering Saints struggle even with nine players playing who are outside their first 17 squad numbers. By comparison Saints only had five players outside their first 17 playing. A physical side with players capable of conjuring up magic moments as Lolohea did todaty, the Giants could push the Saints for Silverware in 2022.
Player Ratings:
Huddersfield Giants
6 Tui Lolohea – 8
5 Ashton Golding – 8
21 Leroy Cudjoe – 8
22 Louis Senior – 8
25 Innes Senior – 8
16 Jack Cogger – 8
23 Oliver Russell – 7
15 Joe Greenwood – 8
19 Adam O’Brien – 6
20 Oliver Wilson – 7
11 Josh Jones – 7
27 Jack Ashworth – 8
10 Michael Lawrence – 7
Substitutes
9 Danny Levi – 7
13 Luke Yates – 8
26 Nathan Mason – 7
29 Sam Hewitt – 7
St Helens
1 Jack Welsby – 9
2 Tommy Makinson – 8
23 Konrad Hurrell – 8
4 Mark Percival – 9
27 Jon Bennison – 8
6 Jonny Lomax – 9
9 James Roby – 7
8 Alex Walmsley – 8
14 Joey Lussick – 7
10 Matty Lees – 7
12 Joe Batchelor – 8
16 Curtis Sironen – 7
19 Jake Wingfield – 7
Substitutes
15 Louis McCarthy-Scarsbrook – 6
17 Agnatius Paasi – 6
20 James Bell – 7
24 Dan Norman – 6
