Huddersfield Giants host Catalans Dragons in the final game of Round Seven of Super League and here’s our verdict.
In a much-changed team that was ‘full of full-backs’ according to Luke Robinson, who had hoped to emulate Melbourne Storm, his side were defeated handily as injuries and ill-discipline cost them again.
Huddersfield would take the lead but it didn’t last long and Catalans eventually ran out as 38-18 winners with Les Dracs powerful pack proving simply too big and too strong for the Giants to deal with.
The winless Giants were hoping to break that losing run, having fallen short in each of their six Super League games and the results only seeming to get worse as evidenced when Hull KR turned up at Huddersfield and registered a 50-point win in Round Six.
Catalans hadn’t faired much better to start the season, losing their opening three but a record of two and one since then with the loss being a 14-13 battle ensured positivity remained around Les Dracs. A win would push Steve McNamara’s side within two points of the play-offs ahead of a Round Eight fixture against struggling Salford on the horizon.
Both teams made key changes in their spine, all forced, as injuries befell Tui Lolohea and Sam Tomkins. The Huddersfield injury plague saw Luke Robinson name just eight of his top 17 in the 21-man squad. Here’s our verdict on today’s game.
Huddersfield Giants see winless run continue as Catalans cruise to win
With the Giants already overpowered in the pack, that imbalance shifted even further when Fenton Rogers limped off with an ankle injury after five minutes with the prop becoming the latest Huddersfield man to succumb to injury. Matters could have got worse when Tom Burgess went high in a tackle and conceded a penalty but the England international avoided a sin bin.
The Giants would take the lead through Jacob Gagai as he escaped a tackle and reached over, giving the hosts an unlikely 6-0 lead just before the 20-minute mark. That lead didn’t last long though as Catalans responded with ease when Tariq Sims was able to collect Luke Keary’s kick uncontested.
Leo Darrelatour then scored on debut but the winger was kicked/kneed in the back by Sam Hewitt as he grounded the ball. That saw Catalans given an eight-point try, albeit they only converted one of those, and Hewitt sent to the sin bin. Aispuro-Bichet kicked another penalty after a high tackle on Luke Keary, extending the lead to 14-6.
It got worse for Huddersfield as they conceded just a minute into the second-half when a mix-up at the back for the Giants saw the ball bounce and Catalans’ veteran Julian Bousquet was quickest to react, crossing over and scoring easily. More concerning was the fact Catalans scored almost immediately after with Bayley Sironen the beneficiary of smart play from Oliver Partington. That stretched the lead to 26-6.
Paul Seguier’s try was sandwiched between tries for Jake Bibby and Sam Halsall as the Giants refused to give up but it wasn’t enough as a comfortable Catalans added another late on through Tevita Pangai Jr with the power of the pack proving the difference.
Good day for
Leo Darrelatour made his Super League debut in place of Nick Cotric and the young Frenchman did not look out of place at all, scoring in the corner whilst linking up well all game with young full-back Guillermo Aispuro-Bichet.
Bad day for
Luke Robinson’s injury woes worsened with Fenton Rogers leaving the field after five minutes and Bill Leyland failing a HIA, automatically ruling him out next week. Rogers’ injury will likely rule him out, whilst Sam Hewitt and Tom Burgess could find themselves facing disciplinary action.
Star man
Any member of Catalans pack could have been named as the star, as evidenced by the fact five try scorers were middle forwards, but Oliver Partington, who didn’t score, was arguably the best of the bunch. The ex-Salford man is flourishing in his first season in Perpignan, taking on a larger ball-playing role and doing so very well.
Teams
Huddersfield Giants XIII: Aidan McGowan, Connor Carr, Jake Bibby, Liam Sutcliffe, Sam Halsall, George Flanagan Jr, Jacob Gagai, Tom Burgess, Ash Golding, Fenton Rogers, Sam Hewitt, Joe Greenwood, Leroy Cudjoe
Interchanges: Bill Leyland, Taane Milne, Jack Billington, Jack Bibby
Catalans Dragons XIII: Guillermo Aispuro-Bichet, Tommy Makinson, Arthur Romano, Reimis Smith, Leo Darrelatour, Luke Keary, Theo Fages, Benjamin Garcia, Alrix Da Costa, Tevita Pangai Jr, Tariq Sims, Bayley Sironen, Oliver Partington
Interchanges: Paul Seguier, Chris Satae, Julian Bousquet, Matthieu Laguerre
The final game in Round 7 👇@Giantsrl host @DragonsOfficiel 👀#SuperLeague pic.twitter.com/CShqBv4gAS
— Betfred Super League (@SuperLeague) April 13, 2025
