'I'm beyond honoured': Huddersfield Giants appoint Luke Robinson as permanent head coach

The 40-year-old took over on an interim basis in July and has overseen an improvement in performances, even if results have largely gone against his team.

The injury-hit Giants have lost six of their eight games under Robinson – including a 60-10 hammering at Salford Red Devils in late August – but the John Smith’s Stadium hierarchy have put their faith in the club stalwart.

"The club received applications from some outstanding candidates but the board felt strongly that Luke was the man to take us forward," read a statement.

"His commitment to the Giants, his rugby philosophy, his vision for the future and of course his tenacity and unrelenting drive for success which served him so well as a player all marked him out as the right man for the role."

Robinson joined Huddersfield's coaching staff following his retirement in 2016 and held the role of assistant from 2019 to Watson's departure.

The former half-back, who played for the Giants between 2008 and 2015, has expressed his pride after taking the next step in his coaching career.

"I am beyond honoured to have been offered the head coach role and to have the support of Ken (Davy, owner) and the rest of the board," said Robinson, who has signed a three-year contract.

"We've not had a great season but I hope that the fans can see the amount of effort the players have given me over the past few weeks and when we have our injured players back in contention and have made a few personnel changes, I truly believe we can have a great pre-season and really hit the ground running.

"At this point, though, my focus is on ending the season well in our last three games and giving the fans the excitement I feel heading into the 2025 campaign.

"The response from the players has been outstanding and I must also thank them for having the faith in me to lead them into this new chapter for the club."

Robinson will be tasked with improving on a hugely disappointing season that has seen the Giants miss out on the play-offs for the second year running.

From the high of 2022 when they reached the Challenge Cup final and secured third place in Super League, Huddersfield finished ninth last year and are on course for another lowly finish with three rounds of this campaign remaining.

Davy is convinced that Robinson is the ideal coach to lead the club's recovery.

"We are delighted to appoint Luke and see him as having enormous potential as our head coach," said Davy.

"It's no secret that the investment made into the Giants over the years has been significant and whilst not achieving the success we would have wanted, I am committed to doing my best for the fans and the club as a whole and believe that we can take the steps needed to improve our performances, both on and off the field.

"This is the first step and I'm already looking forward with real excitement to the new season ahead."