WAKEFIELD coach John Kear branded his side’s second-half defensive performance as “woeful and inept” as they crashed to the 54-6 home defeat by Huddersfield.

The Wildcats led 6-4 until the Giants scored two tries in the last 10 minutes of the first half and then won the second half 40-0.

Without the influential Danny Brough, who was suspended along with Danny Sculthorpe for a breach of club discipline, Wakefield lacked direction in attack and were a shambles in defence as Huddersfield cut loose to run in seven second-half tries.

Kear refused to blame the suspensions or the heat from the warmest day of the year for the scale of a fifth successive defeat.

“It’s nothing to do with the troubling week,” he said. “Conceding 40 points in the second half is just not good enough.

“The first half was what a proper game of rugby league should be – both teams working hard and defending well – but you can’t switch off.

“The defensive effort in the second half was woeful and inept. We absolutely collapsed.

“There can’t be any excuses. There were 17 full-time professionals out there. It’s time for man in the mirror.”

Kear will now shake up his side for next Saturday’s rearranged game against Celtic Crusaders in Bridgend, with Brad Drew and Oliver Wilkes set to return from injury.

“We might have to rush them back if necessary because something has got to be done to shake things up,” he said.