Wakefield Wildcats 16 Huddersfield Giants 18: Wakefield pay price as Giants survive late scare

The hard-nosed would say they only had themselves to blame, though, after wasting a glut of chances before Tim Smith finally sent Lee Smith over under the posts with just 42 seconds remaining.

The ex-England centre, playing his first game of the season after a thumb injury, was almost in amongst the ecstatic crowd before everyone realised referee Richard Silverwood had awarded a scrum for a forward pass from his Australian colleague.

“I’d say I’d like to measure it to see if it was any more forward than Jermaine McGillvary’s in the first half,” was Trinity head coach Richard Agar’s measured response, referring to the Giants winger who ended with a hat-trick of tries and also a nasty cut to the eye that forced his early departure.

“Timmy didn’t think it was forward but if it was so be it.

“We had opportunities to win and gave ourselves a good chance but we let a couple slip and for a period in the game our passing let us down a little bit.

“But if we continue to play with the same effort and commitment, and improve things slightly, we won’t go far wrong this season.”

Wakefield, with Paul Aiton directing, Andy Raleigh and Kyle Amor immense up front, plus Ben Cockayne continuing his excellent start to the year from the left flank, certainly gave their opponents a real testing in what Agar rightly described a “good-old fashioned contest”.

But they will rue their profligacy as, having spent the majority of the second half camped near the Huddersfield line, they simply came up with bad options or poor execution when it mattered most.

In fairness, their West Yorkshire rivals defended with real resolve and determination to maintain their 100 per cent opening to the season but Wakefield – who lost captain Danny Kirmond to a knee injury just before the interval – did make it easier for them.

When it came to Huddersfield’s early first-half tries, there should perhaps be a new sub-title added to the Super League assist chart entitled ‘good attacking positions turned into points lost.’

Twice Wakefield were probing away deep in Giants territory only for the ball to twice go to ground and, with a few thrusts, resulting in their opponents’ twice scoring at the other end.

McGillvary was the benefactor both times, the powerful England Knights winger going over from Luke Robinson’s long pass on four minutes and doing so again in the eighth minute.

Scott Grix had taken advantage of the new advantage rule to make the most of Trinity’s looseness, hacking on upfield and, though Brett Ferres was held up by an outstanding Kirmond tackle, a Grix grubber sat up for McGillvary to grab his second in the same corner.

Uncharacteristically, Danny Brough missed both conversion attempts so the damage wasn’t too savage for the hosts who overcame their early sluggishness with just the sort of requisite drive and purpose needed against such powerful opponents.

Ali Lauitiiti’s trademark offload brought some guile to the occasion and put Richard Mathers surging clear for Peter Fox to reply in the 13th minute, Paul Sykes converting.

Giants hooker Shaun Lunt spilled stretching for the line at the other end but, after another bullocking run from prop Amor, Huddersfield laid on too long and Sykes levelled only to see Brough find his kicking boots with two penalties.

Lee Smith, perhaps as a sign of what was to come, then spilled over the line with just 35 seconds of the half remaining after McGillvary and Aaron Murphy both applied pressure as he chased down Mathers’s hacked-on kick.

That meant the visitors led 12-8 at the break, a lead they extended when McGillvary completed his treble and a fifth of the season following an initial flowing move involving David Faiumu, Grix, Robinson and Brough who converted from wide out in the 45th minute.

That was it, though, for Paul Anderson’s side who then, through some shocking handling coming away from their own line, continually invited Trinity in.

It seemed the hosts would not profit until Dean Collis’s fine break down the right eventually led to Lee Smith scoring on the other side in the 64th minute. Sykes missed the conversion and, crucially, again when Amor’s off-load saw Tim Smith’s flung pass put Cockayne in for his sixth of the season on 72 minutes.

Then came the final push and, after a couple botched efforts, more heartache at the death.

Anderson – who gave a debut to Widnes signing Anthony Mullally – admitted: “I thought the best side lost and we committed rugby league suicide at times.

“Credit to Wakefield, they kept plugging away at us, but we had no respect for the ball and some cheap turnovers allowed that to happen.

“We didn’t challenge them enough to come off their line and, for a second week running (after Wigan), we defended our way to win the game.

“But you can’t fault the lads’ effort and attitude; they are working their backsides off which wasn’t always the case last year.”

Wakefield: Mathers; Fox, Collis, L Smith, Cockayne; Sykes, T Smith; Poore, Aiton, Raleigh, Lauitiiti, Kirmond, Washbrook. Substitutes: Wilkes, Wood, Amor, Annakin.

Huddersfield: Grix; McGillvary, Cudjoe, Wardle, Murphy, Brough, Robinson; Crabtree, Lunt, Fielden, Ferres, Chan, Fairbank. Substitutes: Faiumu, Patrick, Cording, Mullally.

Pat Richards scored a try and kicked 12 points as Wigan Warriors survived a spirited first-half display by London Broncos to win 48-18.

Iain Thornley (2), Josh Charnley (2), Michael McIlorum, Sean O’Loughlin, Sam Tomkins and Blake Green scored tries for the hosts, while Liam Colbon, Kieran Dixon and Chad Randall went over for Broncos.