Huddersfield Giants 46 Hull KR 26: Victorious Giants are back and fans gain benefits

For a side which has lost only once on home turf this season, against champions Wigan in March, Giants supporters can not grumble about value for money.

After watching injury-hit Giants return to the Galpharm Stadium – they played three games at neighbours Halifax while a new pitch was laid – and winning ways against Hull KR, this 12-try contest never had a dull moment.

There was little to choose between the sides for the first hour, but tries from Danny Kirmond, Scott Grix and Eorl Crabtree saw the Giants ease to their first win in four matches.

On the back of five successive away defeats, Giants coach Nathan Brown made four changes to the match-day 17 which lost to Castleford in the Challenge Cup quarter-finals. In came Graeme Horne, Andy Raleigh, Adam Walker and Jacob Fairbank, the latter making his debut after being on loan at Halifax.

Rovers were missing Liam Colbon and Shaun Briscoe, Louis Sheriff stepping in at full-back with teenager Jordan Cox starting on the bench.

Rovers took a fifth-minute lead when Scott Taylor scrambled over, Michael Dobson adding the conversion.

It was an impressive start by the visitors and David Hodgson – who will move from Huddersfield to his home-town club at Craven Park at the end of the season – had to be alert to clear when a dinked kick went into the danger zone.

It sparked gloating cheers of ‘Hodgson is a Robin’ from the Rovers fans.

They were soon silenced when the Giants restored parity when one of their own home-grown products, the impressive Leroy Cudjoe, jumped highest to pluck out Luke Robinson’s high kick.

It got better for Huddersfield when David Faiumu dummied his way over, Grix converting both to lead 12-6 after 20 minutes.

The Giants’ makeshift side – with the likes of Kevin Brown, Keith Mason, Luke O’Donnell, Michael Lawrence and Shaun Lunt all ruled out injured – were ripped apart down the middle by Clint Newton, who shrugged off a couple of challenges, and had plenty of time to pick out Josh Hodgson, who went between the posts. Dobson levelled before kicking a 26th-minute penalty.

The hosts still looked dangerous whenever they had the ball.

The video referee ruled out a ‘try’ for Larne Patrick after good approach play from Robinson, ruling that Patrick had lost control of the ball as he grounded it.

Then Danny Brough scampered through to pick up his own teasing kick, only for the retreating Jake Webster to wrap him up.

The try they were threatening came after another trial by replay.

Raleigh waltzed through some slack tackling, only to have the ball stripped from his grasp as he looked certain to score. Grix dived on the ball for a try which he converted but he was limping off when Huddersfield scored a late try just before half-time.

Robinson’s lofted kick caught out the defence, Horne nipping in to juggle the ball before scoring a try on his return to the side. Cudjoe’s conversion gave Huddersfield a 24-14 half-time lead.

Rovers were back in the game within 90 seconds of the restart. Dobson was allowed to flick the ball out of the tackle and Ben Fisher skipped home for a try converted by Dobson.

Rovers were just as guilty in defence. Horne looked like a man possessed as he rampaged down the right, brushing off three attempted tackles before touching down one-handed in the corner. Cudjoe’s conversion from the touchline making it 30-20.

The East Yorkshire club refused to lie down, Webster producing a fantastic solo run down the right wing, before cutting in for a try between the posts and leaving Dobson with an easy conversion.

Kirmond was next on the scoresheet. Rovers full-back Sheriff knocked-on to gift possession and Kirmond made sure that error was punished.

A seesaw game was finally settled as fantastic passing by the Giants saw the ball come out to Jermaine McGillvary, who sprinted down the right before running out of space.

He was aware of the supporting Grix, chipping the ball forward for the Giants full-back to score and then convert for a 40-26 lead.

Crabtree completed the scoring when he crashed over for a Grix-converted try, with Hull KR losing their discipline, Clint Newton sin-binned for dissent.

McGillvary was denied a late ‘try’ by the video referee, but by then the contest was over, leaving Rovers coach Justin Morgan with just four games to leapfrog neighbours Hull FC and claim eighth place and the final play-off spot.

“The season’s not dead,” said a defiant Morgan. “We’ve just got a game less to catch the team that’s ahead of us. So let’s not cry for too long.

“When people see the newspapers they’ll see the result and think it was an easy win. But we stayed with them and worked hard without being able to get our noses in front.”

Giants assistant coach Paul Anderson said the recent run of injuries had severely tested the strength of the Huddersfield squad, with the likes of the recalled Horne putting in an impressive display.

“Graeme Horne has been frustrated sitting on the sidelines,” he said. “But he’s been given a chance and taken it. He’s definitely given us something to think about.

“People are going to talk about those that are injured. But we should be really talking about the ones that have come into the side.”

Huddersfield Giants: Grix, McGillvary, Cudjoe, Horne, D Hodgson, Brough, Robinson, Crabtree, Faiumu, Griffin, Gilmour, Kirmond, Fairbank. Substitutes: Raleigh, Patrick, Wood, Walker.

Hull Kingston Rovers: Sheriff, Fox, Welham, Webster, Latus, Green, Dobson, Vella, J Hodgson, Wheeldon, Newton, Galea, Taylor. Substitutes: Fisher, Murrell, Netherton, Cox.

Referee: T Alibert (France).