Match report: Harlequins 16 Giants 32

Jul 13 2009 by Chris Roberts, Huddersfield Daily Examiner

IT might not have been a vintage Giants performance.

But after collecting another two valuable Super League points to maintain their magnificent third spot in the table it hardly seemed to matter.

Obviously, it will to Nathan Brown and his coaching staff as they took another huge step towards securing a play-off spot after victory at the fifth-placed Quins.

Yet with every sign on this latest trip to the capital suggesting there’s still far more to come from this team, the future does continue to look very bright.

Even though Harlequins took a 13th-minute lead with a close-range try from Luke Gale and then mounted a late rally to chalk up two further scores, they never seriously threatened to deny the Giants a 13th win from 20 top-flight starts.

In fact, from the moment in-form winger Leroy Cudjoe finished off superbly in the corner after good work from Michael Lawrence and Brett Hodgson landed the touchline goal to level the scores midway through the opening period, there really only looked like being one winner.

Clearly, the Giants’ task was helped in the wake of Cudjoe’s score when Quins’ chief playmaker Chad Randall was forced to retire from the contest.

But even if the home side’s influential hooker had stayed on, Huddersfield appeared to have far more weaponry to deal with their opponents’ threat.

With Cudjoe and Lawrence so effective on the right, Luke Robinson and Scott Moore making valuable ground down the middle and Eorl Crabtree coming off the bench to provide his usual spark, it wasn’t long before the Giants took a firm grip.

Having said all that, however, it wasn’t until the 38th minute that the visitors finally took a lead they were never to lose.

With the forwards making the initial in-roads, Liam Fulton collected 30m from the home side’s line on the sixth tackle.

His superbly-executed high ‘bomb’ to the left corner failed to be collected by Chris Melling.

The ball fell loose and leading Giants tryscorer David Hodgson was on hand to take full advantage and finish off.

Hodgson again converted and the visitors had a 12-6 half-time lead.