Warrington appear in control leading 24-10 in second half, but tries for Huddersfield by Kevin Naiqama and Theo Fages cut lead to two, before the hosts see out victory; win ends shaky spell for Daryl Powell’s side, who had suffered back-to-back defeats to Leigh and Hull FC
Last Updated: 10/06/23 8:54pm
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Warrington withstood a brave Huddersfield comeback to return to winning ways in the Super League with a 30-26 victory at the Halliwell Jones Stadium.
The Wolves looked to be in total control as they led 24-10 early in the second half but tries for the Giants by Kevin Naiqama and Theo Fages, both converted by Olly Russell, cut that lead to just two points at 24-22.
The Wolves steadied the ship with a Matt Dufty try and Stefan Ratchford conversion to give the home side a valuable eight-point cushion midway through the second half.
But Huddersfield set up a frantic finale when Tui Lolohea crossed with seven minutes remaining which Russell converted but the Wolves managed to hold on for a nervy success.
Warrington’s other tries came from Josh Thewlis, George Williams, Danny Walker and Sam Kasiano while Ratchford finished with five goals.
Huddersfield’s other points came from tries by Jake Bibby and Leroy Cudjoe while Russell finished with three conversions.
The win ends a shaky spell for Daryl Powell’s team, who had suffered back-to-back defeats to Leigh and Hull FC and also seen star Australian signing Josh Maguire hit with a 12-match ban for unacceptable language.
Both sides made three changes after their Magic Weekend defeats in Newcastle with Thewlis, Matty Russell and Kasiano coming in for the Wolves in place of Josh Drinkwater, Greg Minnikin and Joe Philbin.
Jake Connor was the surprise absentee from the Giants line-up along with Matty English and Joe Greenwood, while Will Pryce returned to the side with Olly Wilson and Russell.
The home side were quickest out of the blocks in the sweltering conditions and were ahead after just four minutes when Walker’s short pass allowed Kasiano to crash over from close range and Ratchford converted.
But the Giants’ response was almost immediate as some slick handling allowed Bibby to dive over in the corner.
Wolves winger Thewlis then brought the crowd to its feet with a sensational 90-metre try as he broke from close to his own line and stepped inside full-back Will Pryce to race clear.
And it got better for the Wolves when Williams touched down and with Ratchford on target with both conversions the home side were in control at 18-4.
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But Huddersfield kept themselves in the contest with a Cudjoe try and Russell conversion to cut the arears to eight points at 18-10 at half time.
Warrington again started the half the better and four minutes after the restart increased their advantage when Ben Currie broke clear and the supporting Walker collected the pass to score and Ratchford converted.
But Huddersfield’s quick double by Naiqama and Fages set up a thrilling finish that saw the Wolves just hang on for victory.
What they said
Warrington coach Daryl Powell
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“Ultimately this was a nervous game and I felt we needed to win and that always adds a little bit of pressure, even if you don’t say it. It was a big win for us.
“In parts we were good and that’s where we are at at the moment if you piece games together.
“I felt we were a little unlucky at times, especially the Ben Currie try that was disallowed because that blows the game out of the water. Then on the back of that we make a couple of errors and were a little loose defensively.
“We are looking better in the areas we are working on but then something else pops up to work on. We know we need to be better than that and the boys talked about that in the changing rooms.”
Huddersfield coach Ian Watson
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“I’ve said to the boys that everyone will keep throwing stones at us while we are losing so we need to stay together as a group and work hard and come through the other side.
“We are learning some harsh lessons which will be good for the younger players as we go forward and I’m learning a lot of lessons about myself and individuals and coaching itself.
“When you are losing it’s not nice, no one likes it but we are clear as a group this is what we want to do and want to be a part of but we are going through a real difficult phase at this moment in time. We need to learn from this and get better.
“When you have a year like we did last year and everyone is talking well of you, people can fall in love with themselves if you have never experienced it and you can lose the focus of what actually got you there – hard work and having a defensive mentality to win games.
