Warrington Wolves kept up their winning run as they defeated Huddersfield Giants in what turned out to be a torrid game of Super League.
Sam Burgess’ side opened up a 28-0 lead by half-time but the first 30 minutes of the second half saw them misfire in what was an error-prone and prolonged second stanza, before Wire’s late resurgence.
They would eventually win 34-4 in a game where the pre-match talk focused on the fact that Lachlan Webster earned a first Super League start at full-back with Josh Thewlis left out of the squad, however, Warrington didn’t need the winger as they ran in five first-half tries.
Albert Hopoate, Toby King, Josh Smith, Sam Stone and Joe Philbin all scored with Ewan Irwin creating the tries for Smith and Stone. Adam Swift would hit back before Matty Ashton finished the game off as Warrington moved to third in Super League.
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Huddersfield Giants versus Warrington Wolves talking points
Irwin is the real deal
Plenty can change on a weekly basis in Super League but as it stands, Ewan Irwin looks like the greatest young half-back talent the competition has seen for a very long time. George Williams’ injury, whilst unfortunate for both player and club, has opened up a vacancy that should ensure Ewan Irwin gets plenty of game time this year.
He will certainly have tough games, the away game at Headingley in the wind springs to mind, but the reps he is getting are invaluable and he’s being guided off-field by Williams and on-field by a master in Marc Sneyd.
Those mentors paired with the teenagers’s incredible raw talent and the chances for him to get minutes are a recipe for something special. His assists for both Josh Smith and Sam Stone in the first half were both brilliantly worked and it’s fair to say Warrington have an absolute star on their hands.
Sam Burgess also handed a first Super League start for Lachlan Webster with the youngster playing at full-back and putting in a very strong account for himself. Wigan’s academy has led the way in recent years in Super League but there is something special brewing at Warrington at the moment.
Milestone man stakes claim for new contract
Warrington have several players off-contract and CEO Karl Fitzpatrick will be working hard to balance the books and understand which players can land new deals on next year’s salary cap, and he may now have to start finding room for Toby King.
King loves a try against Huddersfield and he now made it six games in a row where he has scored against the Giants, as he took his Super League season tally to four. The Irish international is in fine form and will surely be banging on the door for a new deal.
He also brought up the try on what was his 250th career appearance, 195 of which have come for Warrington Wolves.
Huddersfield handed fresh injury blow
Just as they thought they were getting out of their injury crisis, Huddersfield have stumbled back into their nightmare again as they suffered three injuries, one of which could be a lot more serious than the others.
Adam Clune was subbed off after 22 minutes with what was reported as a hamstring injury and the Giants will be hoping that it’s not a serious tear, as they’ve been massively improved with him on the pitch.
They also lost Fenton Rogers to a HIA, whilst Niall Evalds was an automatic HIA fail due to the fact that he was not wearing one of the instrumented mouthguards. Both men should only miss one week and with the Giants already out of the Challenge Cup, it won’t impact the club.
‘Worst half of Super League ever’
Those were the words of Mark Wilson, who wasn’t on commentary for the match but spoke for many fans, as he took to social media to slam the terrible state of the second half.
Warrington had the game sealed by half time and wanted to avoid injuries for next week. Huddersfield had already lost Adam Clune and wanted to preserve themselves for the future. Errors were high in the wet weather and numerous elongated captain’s challenges and try reviews were held.
All in all, it was a tough watch and even Sky Sports’ actual match commentators, Dave Woods and Paul Cooke, couldn’t really sell the second half as anything other than forgettable.
Wire man facing possible ban
The first 40 minutes were perfect for Warrington and whilst the second-half was torrid to watch as a neutral, it also wasn’t great for the Wolves who could also have a disciplinary concern.
Second-rower James Bentley was sent to the bin for his tackle that was both late and high on the Huddersfield Giants kicker. That’s an offence that will certainly be looked at by the Match Review Panel with Bentley possibly at risk of being banned for next week’s Challenge Cup semi-final against Hull KR.
Despite not being charged in 2026, Bentley is carrying 1 penalty point over from 2025 so a Grade C charge of higher would result in a ban.
Huddersfield coach hunt hots up
Performances like tonight emphasise that Liam Finn’s honeymoon period may well be over and that a permanent appointment is needed, with the Giants collapsing in the first-half.
They stemmed the flow in the second-half and in more positive news, it was reported pre-match that Cronulla Sharks assistant Daniel Holdsworth is being lined up for the role. Sky Sports’ commentator Dave Woods made reference to that and it could be that more news emerges over the upcoming week off.
It’s a @WarringtonRLFC win in Round 10 🐺#SuperLeague pic.twitter.com/P4bkJ8orQF
— Betfred Super League (@SuperLeague) May 2, 2026
