Super League: St Helens 66-4 Huddersfield Giants

Hat-trick hero Jonny Lomax was one of four men to score more than one try for the hosts

St Helens scored 12 tries as they surged to Super League's biggest win of the season so far against Huddersfield.

Jonny Lomax, Ben Barba, Louie McCarthy-Scarsbrook and Ryan Morgan all crossed twice before the break as the leaders bounced back from losing at Wakefield.

Jordan Turner avoided a 'nilling' for the Giants when he scored against his old club going into the final quarter.

But it simply triggered four more tries, from hat-trick man Lomax, Danny Richardson, Regan Grace and Kyle Amor.

Saints were inspired again by classy full-back Barba, whose fourth home double of the season took him to 12 tries for the season, level with suspended team-mate Mark Percival and Hull's Fetuli Talanoa as joint Super League top scorer.

Having become the first side to amass 50 points in a Super League match this season, Saints' win was their biggest over Huddersfield in the summer era, taking their haul of tries this season to 63 in 12 games.

Richardson converted nine of their tries, his own late crossing of the whitewash adding up to a 22-point individual haul, while youngster Matty Costello made an assured debut in place of Percival at centre.

Huddersfield's heaviest defeat of the season leaves them still looking for a first win under interim head coach Chris Thorman, who stepped into the hot seat following the sacking of Rick Stone a month ago.

The Giants, who badly missed the suspended Danny Brough, had nine regulars missing following the late withdrawal of Saints old boy Lee Gaskell and Seb Ikahihifo, who were both injured in training.

St Helens coach Justin Holbrook:

"I'm really happy with that. It was great to watch the boys play as well as they did.

"When you're playing well in the first half, sometimes you don't want half-time to come. You just want to keep playing.

"After slowing up a bit in the second half, I was really pleased to see them kick on again and finish the game strongly.

"Matty Costello did really well and Matty Lees, who has only played a couple of games, was outstanding too. I was really pleased for the young boys that they got an opportunity."

Huddersfield interim head coach Chris Thorman:

"If I said what I wanted to say, I'd probably regret it, in all honesty. Let's just say I need to find people that are up for a fight because that's what we're in.

"This is the first day I've genuinely been disappointed with the effort. We need to find people that are willing to put their gloves up and keep them up for 80 minutes.

"Regardless of the factors, you cannot give in in this sport and far too many of them just gave in. Far too many of them showed that right now they are not up to it.

"We were in a situation like this two years ago and what got us out of it were blokes who were willing to work harder than the people you play against."

St Helens: Barba; Makinson, Morgan, Costello, Grace; Lomax, Richardson; Amor, Smith, Thompson, Peyroux, Knowles, Wilkin.

Replacements: Fages, McCarthy-Scarsbrook, Douglas, Lees.

Huddersfield: Simpson; McIntosh, Turner, Murphy, I Senior; Wood, Rankin; Roche, Leeming, Clough, Roberts, Ta'ai, Smith.

Replacements: Hinchcliffe, Walne, O'Brien, Mellor.

Referee: Scott Mikalauskas (RFL).