Match report: Huddersfield Giants 10 - 28 Wigan Warriors

May 3 2010 by Chris Roberts, Huddersfield Daily Examiner

A MAGIC opening turned into a second-half horror show as the Giants crumbled against Wigan Warriors.

Huddersfield were always going to have their work cu-out to beat the Super League leaders as part of the Magic Weekend in Murrayfield.

But the way they fell away during that second 40 minutes was still hugely disappointing.

After dominating the opening quarter and looking in a strong position at 4-4 at the break, their challenge fell apart almost as soon as the second period got under way.

As a result, the Warriors had stormed into a 28-4 lead by the 65th minute and the game had well and truly gone.

That 25-minute spell after the interval really was in the starkest of contrasts to the tightest of opening periods when chances were at an absolute premium.

That was particularly the case during a cagey first 10 minutes.

But the game came to light when Luke Robinson was taken late and high off the ball by his former Wigan Academy teammate Sean O’Loughlin, with many suggesting the Warriors man deserved a spell in the sin-bin.

The Giants, however, were still able to take full advantage of the penalty awarded.

After a strong subsequent set, a Danny Brough kick-through forced Wigan to drop-out from under their posts.

And a couple of tackles later, Kevin Brown’s short pass found Lee Gilmour who raced in at the corner, too far out for Brough to convert.

At that stage , it was all Huddersfield – until the midway through the half.

On Wigan’s first assault on the Giants’ tryline, the ball was worked to the right for Sam Tomkin’s cut-out pass to send Darrell Goulding in at the corner.

Just like Brough, pat Richards failed to add the extras, but at 4-4 it was definitely ‘game on’.

Five minutes later Leroy Cudjoe did superbly well to push Steffan Marsh into touch by the corner flag as the centre attempted to race in at full pace.

Paul Whatuira was then caught by a last-ditch Wigan tackle before another great shot forced Larne Patrick to lose possession in a promising position.

Sam Tomkins almost gave his side on the stroke of half-time when he just failed to gather a loose ball close to the Huddersfield line.

In all honestly, however, that score wouldn’t have exactly been fully deserved, and a 4-4 interval tally clearly summed up the tightest of encounters between two quality sides.