Wigan Warriors 19 Huddersfield Giants 6: Huddersfield fail to spoil Wigan's party

That was one of the most dramatic evenings in the competition’s history.

It could not have been much different tonight when Wigan did finally manage to get their hands on that silverware but at an empty Emerald Headingley on a bitterly cold November evening, another brutal reminder of how Covid has blighted this year.

Rather than helicopters, the only thing going up in the sky here was fireworks popping and flashing somewhere else in the distance above north Leeds.

Wigan - with Tommy Leuluai winning man-of-the-match in his 300th game for the club - will care not one jot; they are table-toppers for the first time since 2012 and, in the process, have denied their arch-rivals St Helens top spot.

Given what all clubs have gone through this year to get to this point, they all deserve great credit.

Admittedly, the Grand Final in Hull on November 27 is where the real business will be concluded but - given both now get a week off - both will fancy their chances of getting there and gaining the main prize.

Huddersfield, meanwhile, had gone into that tense, suspense-filled last round fixture in 2015 knowing they could finish top as well but obviously that was never part of the far simpler permutations here.

Indeed, ordinarily, this would simply be the end of the season for the West Yorkshire club who shone so brightly before lockdown - the first one - but have misfired too much upon their return.

However, as the side that has finished seventh - just outside the top-six play-off spots - they are on stand-by in case any of the clubs in action this week are sidelined by Covid.

For much of this game against the leaders, they demonstrated how they would not look out of place if the worst case scenario did occur for a play-off contender and they were catapulted into that mix.

They were level 6-6 until past the hour mark and were highly competitive, showing plenty of strength in defensive duties and, at times, stretching their opponents in attack.

However, after a barrage of pressure, they were finally breached, Jackson Hastings dummying over for a try from close range in the 61st minute.

Soon after, the Man of Steel slid in a grubber for Zak Hardaker to pounce, the England international literally kicking the ball out of the ground in celebration; he knew how much it meant.

Hardaker converted and Hastings added a late drop goal after Wigan dominated the second period.

In the first half, Sam Wood’s try in the 37th minute was the least Luke Robinson’s Huddersfield side deserved.

The utility man had only just entered the fray off the bench but was on hand to scoop up when Bevan French, Wigan’s star full-back, made a rare error spilling Aidan Sezer’s high kick beneath his own posts.

Sezer made the simple conversion and Robinson will have felt his side - with Ashton Golding a rock at the back and Leroy Cudjoe offering a constant outlet on the right flank - warranted that parity.

They had overcome an early setback when Wigan hooker Sam Powell was awarded a fifth minute try despite some doubt about the grounding.

Hardaker improved and it would have been easy for Huddersfield to splinter again under some further Cherry and Whites pressure.

They repelled that, though, and gradually worked their own way into the game.

They produced one lovely passage of ball in which they kept the ball alive from one side of the pitch to the other while French was given an early reminder he would not have it all his own way when he was bundled into touch after a precision Sezer kick to the corner.

Sezer’s floated pass looked to have given Jake Wardle enough room to get Louis Senior over at the same corner but Wigan scrambled well to force the young winger into touch.

Golding thwarted Liam Farrell on the last tackle but Huddersfield were let off when Jake Bibby dropped a dolly with the line begging from 10m out.

Wood did get over eventually and Huddersfield saw young Irish prop Ronan Michael come on for his debut but Wigan showed their class in that second period.

Wigan Warriors: French; Bibby, Hardaker, Gildart, J Burgess; Leuluai, Hastings; Bullock, Powell, Singleton, Isa, Farrell, Partington. Substitutes: G Burgess, Clubb, Flower, Smithies.

Huddersfield Giants: Golding; McGillvary, Cudjoe, Jake Wardle, L Senior; Russell, Sezer; Ta’ai, Moore, Lawrence, McQueen, Joe Wardle, Turner. Substitutes: Wood, Trout, Michael, Gavet.