Super League: Huddersfield Giants 8-11 St Helens

Jordan Turner's try for St Helens was his eighth of the season

St Helens kept pace with Super League leaders Leeds with victory at Huddersfield Giants to stay just four points off the Rhinos.

Leroy Cudjoe's try and Danny Brough's goal gave the Giants the lead but Saints went in level at half time after Jordan Turner's converted try.

Travis Burns's goal edged the visitors ahead and after Saints lost Mose Masoe to the bin Brough made it 8-8.

Luke Walsh's drop goal and another Burns goal restored Saints' lead.

St Helens began the game six points off the pace at the top of Super League following Leeds' win at Salford but they ended a three-match losing run to get their campaign back on track.

Cudjoe opened the scoring for Huddersfield, beating Turner and Jon Wilkin close to the line.

Brough was terrorising St Helens with his kicking game and the frustration became too much for Wilkin as he caught Scott Grix and Jack Hughes with high tackles minutes apart.

Tensions were rising and threatened to get out of hand when an altercation between Kyle Amor and Brough saw both sets of players rush in. Amor was adjudged to have been the guilty party and Brough happily took the two points on offer.

Saints got back into the match when Turner powered his way over for his eighth try of the season.

The match became increasingly ill-tempered in the second half as referee James Child struggled to control the players.

Wilkin was hit late by Ukuma Ta'ai before Lance Hohaia won a penalty for interference. Burns went for goal but saw his effort drift wide. The Saints stand-off made no mistake when the visitors were awarded yet another penalty.

Brough soon brought Huddersfield back level when he slotted over a two-pointer after Masoe had been sin-binned for late contact on Jamie Ellis.

Walsh, returning after a nine-month injury absence, showed what Saints fans had been missing when he landed a 30-metre drop goal before another Burns penalty gave the away side a three-point cushion.

Huddersfield piled pressure on the St Helens line as the clock ticked down but they knew the game was up when Jermaine McGillvary was unable to take in Brough's grubber kick.

Huddersfield head coach Paul Anderson:

"We're fighting and scrapping, and getting some rewards off the back of our efforts, but we're lacking a bit of composure and smartness in the right areas of the field.

"We're not too far off. If we were getting pumped every week I'd be worried. But there were three points in it today, four the last game and six the one before.

"We've just got to keep our discipline and take our opportunities.

"At the end I thought we were trying to score all the time rather than staying nice and calm and waiting for opportunities to come."

St Helens head coach Keiron Cunningham:

"It was a real scrappy game, like an old school dogfight up the middle.

"There wasn't much skill or entertaining stuff going on and we just had to grind it out.

"We weren't very smart today but true determination, grit and togetherness got us through.

"We look forward to the Leeds game. It's not a tough game for us to get up for because Leeds are sitting right on top of the tree at the minute."

Huddersfield Giants: Grix, McGillvary, Cudjoe, Connor, Murphy, Brough, Ellis, Crabtree, Robinson, Kopczak, Ta'ai, Hughes, Bailey.

Replacements: Huby, Wood, Mullally, Cox.

St Helens: Hohaia, Makinson, Dawson, Turner, Swift, Burns, Wilkin, Amor, Roby, Walmsley, McCarthy-Scarsbrook, Flanagan, Thompson.

Replacements: Masoe, Richards, Savelio, Walsh.

Referee: James Child.