Super League: St Helens thrash Huddersfield Giants 48-16
- Published
Luke Thompson scored twice for St Helens as they easily beat Huddersfield
Betfred Super League |
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St Helens (24) 48 |
Tries: Thompson 2, Peyroux, Grace, Knowles, Amor, Lomax, Makinson Goals: Coote 8 |
Huddersfield (0) 6 |
Tries: Lawrence Goals: Russell |
Huddersfield's Super League survival battle will go down to the final weekend after they were thrashed by St Helens and London won at Hull KR.
The Broncos remain bottom but are now level on points with the Giants, Robins and Wakefield, who lost at Warrington.
Huddersfield never got close to a win that would have all but guaranteed their safety as top-of-the-table Saints scored four tries in each half.
The Giants crossed once themselves but it was scant consolation.
On a night when Simon Woolford's team chased a victory that would near enough have made sure of their top-flight status thanks to London's hugely inferior points difference, they made the worst possible start - before the match had even started.
An injury to Lee Gaskell saw him replaced by Oliver Holmes, and join Matt Frawley on the sidelines. It meant the Giants were without the half-back duo that had been so crucial to their victory at Hull KR last time out.
But the less experienced duo of Oliver Russell and Tom Holmes had little say in the outcome of this match against a rampant Saints, who have now gone the entire regular season unbeaten at home.
Looking far more fluid than during their attritional 4-0 win over Castleford, this was a Justin Holbrook team that seemed to have shaken off its disappointment after their surprise defeat by Warrington in August's Challenge Cup Final.
Saints' opening try came with barely a minute played through Luke Thompson, and the returning Dom Peyroux, Regan Grace and Morgan Knowles all went over before half-time.
Huddersfield got on the board straight after half-time through Michael Lawrence but that only sparked St Helens back into action as Kyle Amor and Thompson quickly replied.
Late scores from Jonny Lomax and Tommy Makinson sealed a victory in which all eight tries were converted by back-to-form Lachlan Coote - and completed a 100 per cent home record for the campaign.
The last time Saints won every home game of the regular season was in 2002 when they went on to win the Grand Final.
St Helens coach Justin Holbrook:
"It's really difficult to win all your home games in a regular season and something we are really proud of.
"It's tremendous. What we've done here this year is a great achievement. The last couple of weeks have been all about different emotions but this was really good.
"The conditions were tough for a while especially with the rain in the second half. But some of our execution was great.
"Our forwards were tremendous. They all played well plus Lachlan Coote was impressive at the back. But Huddersfield were missing a few troops so we have to keep things in perspective."
Huddersfield boss Simon Woolford:
"Nothing changes for us. We have to win next week (against Catalans). If we do that we're safe.
"They were just too good. I don't think they could have fielded a stronger team than they could be. Justin Holbrook picked his full-strength team. We just don't have the quality to match them.
"You could see how much bigger, stronger and faster they were. We found it really hard to handle them. We turned the ball over cheaply when we had our opportunities.
"We knew it was going to be a tough night and a lot of things would have to go our way. There was some intent there early on but Saints scored some disappointing tries which were caused by us getting our numbers wrong."
St Helens: Lomax, Makinson, Naiqama, Percival, Grace, Fages, Walmsley, Roby, Thompson, Taia, Knowles, Peyroux, Coote.
Interchanges: McCarthy-Scarsbrook, Amor, Ashworth, Bentley.
Huddersfield: McIntosh, McGillvary, Clough, Matagi, Mellor, Lawrence, O'Brien, Ta'ai, Wardle, Russell, Holmes, Hewitt, Senior.
Interchanges: Leeming, Ikahihifo, Kirby, Wilson.