Giants survive after nail-biter

Dec 28 2001 By Chris Roberts, The Huddersfield Daily Examiner

Featherstone 20 - 21 Giants. HUDDERSFIELD Giants last night held off a dramatic late Featherstone Rovers rally to maintain their unbeaten start to the season.

With six minutes remaining, the visitors appeared to be home and dry as they led 21-8.

But the Giants almost paid the ultimate price for taking their foot off the pedal as Rovers grabbed two tries out of nothing to produce a nail-biting final few minutes.

Twice in two minutes winger Jamie Stokes sliced through the Huddersfield defence to score.

And by the 76th minute the deficit was cut to just one point and a Featherstone triumph looked a very real possibility.

Both sides spilled possession during a nail-biting finale, and to say the sound of the final hooter came as a welcome relief to the rattled visitors would be an understatement.

They had only just held on to make it three wins out of three after a game in which there was a distinct lack of festive spirit.

The tone of a far from friendly Christmas encounter was set within a minute as Paul Reilly was felled by a high tackle, which went unpunished by referee Ronnie Laughton, brother of former Giants prop Dale.

It was a challenge which later forced the full back to retire from the contest, but that was just one of the consequences from the first of many unsavoury incidents.

With no decisive action having been taken, tempers were frayed from the start and further altercations were inevitable.

Within 10 minutes the first of a series of brawls was under way, with Jamie Rooney landing the subsequent penalty and the whole incident being placed on report.

Another free-for-all in the 55th minute resulted in Giants hooker Paul March and Rovers centre Gavin Swinson being sent to the sin-bin. Again it was put on report.

And then 11 minutes later former Huddersfield second-rower Jimmy Carlton was sent off for punching and Giants winger Chris Langley received a similar punishment for his retaliation.

Yet in and among the rough stuff, an intense and gripping encounter was unfolding.

Spilt possession may have been an over-riding memory of a tense first half, but the quality of both defences had to be admired.

It was obvious that something special was required to break the deadlock, and exciting Giants winger Hefin O'Hare was on hand to play the leading role.

For the opening 37 minutes, the Featherstone defence had been impeccable.

And when the 22-year-old Welshman collected the ball on his own 25, there appeared to be little options available to him.

But with a quick step on the gas he had broken the first line of defence and was racing upfield.

Despite the attempts of at least three defenders, O'Hare had the skills to remain elusive and finished off with a spectacular dive between the posts.

Steve McNamara added the conversion and a 6-2 interval lead had been established.

With the advantage of the slope in the second half, few would have bet against a Huddersfield win.

And they could not have made a better start on the resumption.

A successful 40-20 McNamara kick put the Giants well on the offensive, and two plays later Chris Thorman had sent O'Hare crashing over from close range. McNamara again goaled.

Talented scrum half Rooney breathed new life into Rovers' challenge by producing the perfect pass to send Neil Lowe charging through a gap for a converted score.

But that just signalled another Huddersfield upsurge.

A McNamara penalty extended the lead to 14-8 by the 52nd minute and 10 minutes later there was even more breathing space.

A strong surge to the line by Mark Moxon sucked in a couple of players and his perfect pass out of the tackle enabled the supporting Thorman to finish off.

Once again the conversion was added and when Thorman landed a 69th-minute drop goal that looked to be game, set and match. It was, however, to prove crucial

Graeme Hallas came close to extending the lead in the 73rd minute but was adjudged to have hit the flag before touching down in the corner.

Yet there was to be one almighty sting in the tail.

Within a minute Rooney had sent Stokes charging over for a second converted Featherstone score.

Then Stokes broke clear two minutes later and outpaced the visitors' defence to score behind the posts.

Rooney again added the extra two points and Rovers were on a roll.

From a stuttering start from both sides, a grandstand finish had been established.

For the first time this season, Huddersfield were genuinely rattled.

In the end they held out.

But the Giants had been handed a clear message yet again that nothing can be taken for granted.

It's a lesson that they need to learn sooner rather than later.

MATCH FACTS

Featherstone Rovers Graham; Stokes, Reardon, Swinson, Spurr; Bastow, Rooney; Dickens (Morgan 22mins), Chapman, Booth, Dooler (Carlton 42mins), Lowe, Darley (Seal 25mins).

Tries - Lowe (48mins), Stokes (74mins & 76mins).

Goals - Rooney 4 from 4.

Sin-binning - Swinson (55mins, fighting).

Dismissal - Carlton (66mins, fighting).

Huddersfield Giants - Reilly (Hallas 52mins); O'Hare, Crabtree, Cooper, Langley; Thorman, Moxon; Slicker (Wittenberg 24mins, Slicker 57mins), March, Molyneux (Roberts 33mins, bb), Atkins (Rice 77mins), Rice (Hayes 48mins), McNamara.

Tries - O'Hare (37mins & 41mins), Thorman (62mins).

Goals - McNamara 4 from 4.

Drop goal - Thorman.

Sin-binning - March (55mins, fighting).

Dismissal - Langley (66mins, fighting).

Half-time - 2-6.

Referee - Ronnie Laughton (Barnsley).

Attendance - 2,103.

Scrums won - Featherstone 11, Huddersfield 11.

Pens conceded - Featherstone 13, Huddersfield 10.

Top Huddersfield tacklers - March 25, McNamara 25, Slicker 22, Atkins 21.