Huddersfield Giants have formally confirmed the appointment of a new coach, whose comments have seen him pick out two players for development.
The Giants last played almost two weeks ago in Round 13 when they hosted Leigh Leopards and fell to a narrow defeat. That game was supposed to be the first game that Jake Webster worked as a coach of the club, however, he was held up on the motorway following an accident.
Luke Robinson had confirmed how star man Tui Lolohea was travelling with Webster to the match when the pair got stuck, leading to young forward Jack Billington to come to the rescue and swap positions with Lolohea.
As such, Webster watched his first game as a Huddersfield Giants coach from far away but Robinson noted his appointment in the post-match presser and that has now been made official.
A club statement explained: “The Giants can now officially confirm that Jake Webster has joined Luke Robinson’s coaching staff, alongside assistant coach Liam Finn.”
Huddersfield Giants confirm Jake Webster appointment
Webster had a lengthy playing career, calling time with Keighley before moving into an off-field role there, however, he has previously represented Hull KR and Castleford in Super League.
Before arriving in Super League, he’d made 67 NRL appearances and his pedigree at centre is exceptional which is why appears to be working with the teams backs as two players were named by him when he talked about his coaching.
“I’m excited and grateful for the opportunity,” the New Zealander confirmed.
“I get to learn from a full-time environment and from Robbo and Finny which is exciting for me, I’ve been here a couple of weeks now so I feel like I’m settled in now.
“I’ve been around the leagues and played for a number of years so I hope my experience will translate into the players we’re coaching here, especially working with the young lads like George and Sam.”
George Flanagan has played far more in 2025 than many expected on account of injuries but he’s been exceptional at full-back, whilst Sam Halsall has shifted between centre and winger and proved in good form of late.
Both young men stood out in the defeat against Leigh which would indicate that Webster’s early impact has been positive, and Director of Rugby Andy Kelly explained why it was so important to appoint the 41-year-old.
He said: “It’s simple for us, Jake wants to come on board to the club and we’ve made it a more permanent role to the end of the year, it’s vital we have an extra pair of hands, extra experience with him playing at the very highest level, it adds to our existing coaching team.
It’s important to us to have the right number of staff with the right knowledge and experience, we see a more fluid training session as it frees up our coaches to really train in there level of expertise.”
📝 Jake Webster joins the Huddersfield Giants coaching staff, assisting Luke Robinson & Liam Finn.
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— Huddersfield Giants 🐮🔔 (@Giantsrl) June 11, 2025
