Huddersfield 2 Wakefield 10: Kirmond returns with Trinity to inflict defeat on rivals Giants

Head coach Chris Chester hailed his side’s defensive quality as a key factor as they defeated woeful Huddersfield.

They kept their one-dimensional opponents tryless in a miserable game and moved up to sixth after confirming victory with Danny Kirmond’s 68th minute try.

Chester had won nine from 10 games since taking over but then saw his side fall at Salford before an alarming 54-16 home loss to Hull KR left some question marks about their top-eight ability.

However, they responded well to that here and this win should now see them home.

The turning point here came shortly before Kirmond’s try when Huddersfield finally got out of their own half after showing real steel themselves to defend three drop-outs in quick succession,

Instead of attacking, though, they opted to attempt to kick a penalty when trailing 4-2 after Ben Jones-Bishop blatantly shoved Danny Brough as the Giants captain chased his own grubber.

However, Brough was marginally wide with his effort and instead, just moments later, Wakefield captain Kirmond – the former Giants second-row back from a one-game ban – latched onto Liam Finn’s smart kick for the game’s only try.

Finn’s conversion made it 10-2 and Paul Anderson’s side, who have now lost three successive matches, never looked like recovering.

“Our kick-chase was magnificent and work off the ball won us the game,” said Chester, as Wakefield prospered at Huddersfield for the first time in four years.

“Finny kicked it very, very well but it was our best defence for some time, too. It was scrappy but we deserved the win.

“We’ve another tough game against Leeds on Friday and our points for and against is not great.

“But this now means teams below us have to win four out of five to get us out of the eight which is a big ask.

“We won’t get carried away but defensively we were very good, the best for a long time, and I’m proud of the boys.”

Huddersfield, initially, seemed to handle the conditions better but could not muster any points.

Ukuma Ta’ai was brought down on the last tackle as he tried muscling over before Michael Lawrence was held up over the goalline.

Brough produced a fizzing 40/20 kick but there was no finish and there was barely any other attack of note amid the raft of handling errors thereafter.

Jermaine McGillvary was thankful to referee Michael Woodhead for not awarding a try when the England winger spilled trying to get out from behnid his own line, Bill Tupou touching down for Wakefield. The official ruled the ball was already dead before coming loose.

Huddersfield lost Aaron Murphy when he dived out from behind his own line to avoid conceding a second successive drop-out but suffered a nasty head wound in the process.

For a long period, neither side had enough simple control let alone guile to look like scoring a try and, therefore, it was no surprise when Finn accepted two points from a penalty to open the scoring in the 26th minute.

Giants second-row Oliver Roberts was placed on report for an alleged dangerous tackle on Bill Tupou but it was his side who leveled with Brough’s 52nd-minute penalty.

Nevertheless, parity did not last long as Huddersfield were caught offside just three minutes later and Finn duly put his side in front once more.

Wakefield then applied all that pressure, sleight full-back Ryan Brierley enduring a torrid time as he was twice pushed back behind his own goalline to concede drop-outs.

They did not benefit initially but their patience paid off in the end.

Anderson said: “They beat us on their kicking and kick-chase.

“We didn’t put Liam Finn under any pressure.

“The rest of it there was nothing in it. Kirmo’s try was massively offside.

“Even though it was a real poor game the amount of effort in our tryline defence was pretty good but there were errors again.”

Murphy may require surgery on his head wound while Ryan Hinchcliffe came off shortly after coming on due to the effects of a previous rib cartilage injury.

Huddersfield, who badly lacked creative spark, are now joint-bottom with Leeds Rhinos and eight points behind eighth-placed Widnes Vikings with just five games to go.

Anderson and the club, meanwhile, are praying youngster Ronan Costello pulls through after he suffered a serious injury during Saturday’s Under 19s game.

The teenager is in a critical condition in Leeds General Infirmary after being injured in a tackle.

Costello, 19, was taken there by air ambulance and the match against Salford was abandoned.

Huddersfield Giants: Brierley; McGillvary, Cudjoe, Wardle, Murphy; Brough, Ellis; Rapira, Leeming, Mason, Roberts, Ta’ai, Lawrence. Substitutes: Crabtree, Hinchcliffe, Wood, Johnson.

Wakefield Trinity Wildcats: Jowitt; Johnstone, Lyne, B Tupou, Jones-Bishop; Miller, Finn; Anderson, Howarth, England, Kirmond, Ashurst, Sio. Substitutes: Scruton, Arona, Arundel, Annakin.

Referee: M Woodhead (RFL).