Super League: Huddersfield Giants 38-6 Hull Kingston Rovers

Danny Brough had previously only kicked one Super League goal this season

Huddersfield Giants climbed off the bottom of the Super League table to leave Hull Kingston Rovers as the only winless side in the top flight.

The Giants led 12-0 at the break after tries from on-loan debutant full-back Jordan Tansey and Michael Lawrence.

Rovers then halved the deficit with Thomas Minns' converted touchdown.

But Aaron Murphy's try restored the 12-point cushion and the Giants stretched clear through Jermaine McGilvary, Larne Patrick and Ukuma Ta'ai.

Danny Brough, who tormented the visitors with his tactical kicking, landed all six conversions, one of them after England winger McGillvary's 100th Super League try, as well as a penalty for an individual 14-point haul.

Huddersfield had lost their first four matches in Super League, but the win enabled them to leapfrog over Rovers, who have picked up only one point from their first six games, courtesy of last month's draw with Castleford.

In his first game in charge as interim head coach until the end of the season, former Rovers captain James Webster's side were outplayed from start to finish, despite being boosted by the return from injury of former Huddersfield forwards Shaun Lunt and Graeme Horne, while James Green and John Boudebza were back from suspension.

But captain Terry Campese lasted just 42 minutes before going off with a hamstring injury on his comeback from a nine-month lay-off following a knee reconstruction.

Giants coach Paul Anderson confirmed that prop Daniel Smith will not play again this season after undergoing foot surgery but expects fellow front rower Craig Huby to be the next player back from injury at Easter.

Huddersfield coach Paul Anderson:

"Winning is definitely better than losing. It does relieve some pressure, the boys are happy in there. There was no real sense of panic but we can't rest on that. We have an opportunity to start knocking some points off.

"For 40 to 50 minutes you could tell both teams were a little bit nervous but we settled the quicker and created a lot of opportunities. We stayed patient and came up with some good sets."

"We just need to get people back on the field and training continuously. We've not lost anybody else today which is a positive.

"All the people who came back grew into the game and Jordan Tansey had an impact and is only got to get better as gets to know our structures."

Hull KR interim coach James Webster told BBC Radio Humberside:

"We weren't good enough with the ball at the start. We were second best at the ruck and they ran a bit harder than us. We did a really good job to stay within 12 points at half-time.

"We seemed to rectify a few of the things we spoke about at half-time but the fatigue factor really hurt us towards the end.

"It's going to be hard work but we're a confident club and we think we can turn it around.

"When Terry Campese was on the ground with his hand up in the air, you think 'has he done his knee?' but it's the hamstring in his other leg. While we're obviously disappointed, it's good that it's not his knee."

Huddersfield: Tansey; McGillvary, Cudjoe, Connor, Murphy; Brough, K Wood; Crabtree, Hinchcliffe, Rapira, Wardle, Lawrence, Ta'ai.

Replacements: Patrick, J Johnson, Leeming, Roberts.

Hull KR: Cockayne; Shaw, Thornley, Minns, Sio; Blair, Marsh; Walker, Lunt, Tilse, Clarkson, Horne, Allgood.

Replacements: Green, Greenwood, Campese, Boudebza.

Referee: Robert Hicks.