Wakefield 6-29 Huddersfield: Luke Robinson leads Giants to first win since restart

Luke Robinson’s first game in charge of Huddersfield resulted in a resounding 29-6 win over Wakefield at the John Smith’s Stadium.

Following the departure of Simon Woolford earlier this week, the Giants coasted to their first win in six attempts since the Super League restart, with Aidan Sezer instrumental, scoring a try and setting up three others.

After Chris McQueen had gone close early on for the Giants, it was Wakefield who made the first break from range, an attack down the left by centre Bill Tupou saw former Toronto winger Liam Kay tackled in to touch 15 metres from the try line. Unfortunately for Kay, it would prove to be his final action of the game, helped off with an arm injury.

Opposite Tupou was Leroy Cudjoe, who showed glimpses of his previous best at times, including a fine break on 14 minutes where his inside ball just couldn’t be reeled in by the busy Jordan Turner on the back-up.

Wakefield got within inches of the line through Craig Kopczak, but a minute later they conceded the first try of the game.

Aiden Sezer’s sharp short pass found McQueen steaming on to it at a good angle, and he had enough pace to go direct to the corner from 20 metres out.

The Giants, playing on their home ground but as the away team, had the momentum and they added a second try four minutes later when Suaia Matagi crashed over from close range, and they looked the more likely to add to that.

Trinity dug in though, and despite losing new signing Eddie Battye for a spell for a head injury assessment, they had a period of possession and territory where they just couldn’t crack the Huddersfield defence, and Jordan Turner’s drop goal with 80 seconds left of the half made it a three score game.

Wakefield may have felt hard done to by the Giants’ opening try at the start of the second half, a pass by Turner on the last tackle looked forward before it was put down by a Trinity defender, with the subsequent set of six from an attacking position resulting in James Gavet taking on another short pass by Sezer to find the try line, with Sezer’s third successful conversion stretching their lead to 19-0.

There could be no complaints over the next Giants try that came a minute later, a piece of individual brilliance from Sezer, who chipped over the line, gathered his own kick and slid over to end the game as a contest with barely 50 minutes on the clock.

The floodgates were open and quick thinking by Jake Wardle on the left from the play the ball sent Darnell McIntosh away tight to the left touchline, and his kick beyond the full-back settled nicely for Wardle to gather and slide over.

Wakefield avoided a whitewash when Kelepi Tanginoa forced his way over the line with 10 minutes to play, but it wasn’t enough to prevent them dropping to the bottom of the Super League table.

Wakefield: Jowitt, Kay, Lyne, Tupou, Jones-Bishop, Bailey, Hampshire, Kopczak, Wood, Battye, Pitts, Tanginoa, Westerman. Subs: Wood, Crowther, Navarrete, Gigot.

Tries: Tanginoa. Goals: Hampshire.

Huddersfield: Golding, McGillvary, Cudjoe, Wardle, McIntosh, Turner, Sezer, Wilson, Butterworth, Matagi, Edwards, McQueen, Lawrence. Subs: Holmes, Wood, Trout, Gavet.

Tries: McQueen, Matagi, Gavet, Sezer, Wardle. Goals: Sezer 4. Drop goal: Turner.