THE Giants live to fight another day – and with a bit of luck it will be just one more day this season.

Success over Leeds at home by 22-14 means that a win at Hull KR in round seven of the Middle 8s next Saturday ensures Super League rugby next year .

Defeat means a home meeting – bar some unusual results – against Salford Red Devils in the ‘million pound’ game.

Quite simply, it is one cup final or two for Rick Stone’s team.

But on this showing the job can be done at the KC Lightstream Stadium next Saturday lunchtime.

Despite all the scenarios the Middle 8s could offer, the Giants went for the only one that mattered – a win and enhance their chances of staying up.

They bossed the opening encounters and on six minutes took the lead when persistent pressure put England centre Leroy Cudjoe through a gap to touch down.

Stand off Danny Brough pulled his goal attempt wide, but within minutes he had made amends when the Rhinos were caught offside and he thumped over the penalty.

This was never going to be a classic and the next score came exactly the same way, with a Brough penalty on 33 minutes after a spell of attritional play that generally had the home side the aggressors.

Obviously defence mattered too and, by half-time, the Giants looked odds-on to keep out their visitors.

From that confident stance the Giants built again to half-time and superb support play from within their own territory culminated in Ryan Brierley going in at the posts and Brough added the goal to make it 14-0 at the interval.

Leeds suffered a setback at the start of the second half as Keith Galloway was carried off and the Giants had more areas in which to seek an advantage.

The visitors, already safely in Super League for 2017, seemed to become distracted and Rob Burrow found himself on report for a challenge.

The additional punishment to that penalty was that from the award the Giants carved a route for Brough to the tryline and the stand off added the goal to put the home side 20 points ahead – with the emphasis on adding as many more as they could muster.

The loss of Sam Rapira on 56 minutes had potential to be a concerning for the home outfit, but by this stage they were on the front foot and looking to make the most of it.

It was always unlikely the Giants would ‘nil’ a Leeds side who have recently been rejuvenated, but the Rhinos had to fight tooth and nail to get over the line through Adam Cuthbertson on 66 minutes (Liam Sutcliffe added the goal).

Within two minutes they were back again as winger Tom Briscoe made a break, ignored the option of a pass inside to Kallum Watkins and kicked through to set up the touchdown for himself, but this time Sutcliffe was wayward.

The fear for the Giants was that the tide was turning, but they managed to rediscover their defensive shape and looked to stem the flow.

With minutes remaining on the clock, the nerves jangled at times, but the Giants resolve held firm and a penalty from Brough looked to have sealed success.

But Leeds showed their class again as Joel Moon sent Ash Handley in at the corner, but another Sutcliffe miss kept the Giants eight points in the clear.

The home side held on and now the next challenge is to make the Robins play an extra game.

Hull KR will go into the Giants game off the back of a 32-24 win at Featherstone Rovers, which keeps them ahead of the Giants only on points difference.

Roll on Saturday!