Warrington Wolves held off a late comeback from Huddersfield Giants to win 30-26 at the Halliwell Jones Stadium to secure their first victory in three matches on Saturday afternoon.
The hosts got off to the perfect start inside five minutes as Sam Kariano crossed over the line with power as Daryl Powell’s high-flyers were letting Huddersfield know exactly what they were about. Stefan Ratchford added the extras.
For all of Warrington’s dominance in the early stages, Huddersfield let them know that victory would not come easy as Jack Bibby pulled the visitors back into the contest. The prop finished off a well-worked move that started from the left as he flew over the try line on the right.
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This sparked a response from the Wolves who were hungry to increase their lead. Jake Thewlis recorded an amazing solo try by storming the length of the pitch and dodging challenges to get over the line unchallenged. Ratchford made the try worth it by scoring from right in front of the posts to put his side back in the driving seat. George Williams got in on the action a few minutes later as the Wolves implemented a fine move which the Giants simply couldn’t deal with.
Huddersfield were able to come up with their own response shortly after with Leroy Cudjoe getting on the scoresheet. Oliver Russell’s subsequent kick reduced the deficit to eight points going into the break.
Warrington came out of the traps quickly again in the second half. Danny Walker extended their lead to finish off an excellent phase of play which left him in space to land the try in between the sticks. This made it simple once again for Ratchford to add the extras and put the Wolves 14 points ahead.
A mistake from Warrington just outside the try line invited Huddersfield back into the contest as Kevin Naiqama made sure the opportunity was not wasted. This really knocked the Wolves’ confidence while raising that of the Giants.
The momentum was starting to shift and Huddersfield soon scored again as Theo Fages crossed the line after a good phase of play. Russell converted the kick to reduce the deficit to just two points, creating a huge test of character for Warrington.
After having a rough second half, Matt Dufty was alert to give his team some breathing space after getting the ball down after a scramble by the posts. Ratchford had another easy kick from in front of the posts and the score was 30-22.
Tuimoala Lolohea added some spice to the closing stages as he pulled another try back for the Giants, once again increasing the nerves around the Halliwell Jones Stadium. The Wolves managed to get themselves over the line which was just what they needed to reach their ambitions this season
