Super League: Huddersfield 28-12 Catalans - Giants climb to third by beating Dragons

Huddersfield's Tui Lolohea kicked three conversions and two penalties for an individual10-point haul

Huddersfield climbed above Catalans Dragons to third in Super League after running in four tries to claim their fifth win in seven games this season.

After a delayed kick-off due to 'severe transport disruptions' for the French visitors, Samisoni Langi's try put Catalans ahead but the hosts turned it around to lead 12-8 by the break.

Front-row forwards Owen Trout and Danny Levi both scored converted tries.

Frenchman Theo Fages and Josh Jones scored the Giants' second-half tries.

Joe Chan crossed after the break for the Dragons, to follow up winger Tom Davies's effort just before the break - but all three tries went unconverted, in comparison to Huddersfield, who kicked six goals, five of them for Tui Lolohea.

The game did not get underway until 20:20 BST, 35 minutes late, after Dragons were late arriving at the John Smith's Stadium, largely because of a weather-delayed flight.

Unable to take off at Perpignan, they were forced to drive to Toulouse, so their arrival in the UK was delayed, making for a hectic pre-match dash from Doncaster Airport.

The travel-weary Dracs had their five-match winning run brought to an end by the Giants, having not lost since the opening game of the season at defending champions St Helens.

• Champions St Helens beat Leeds 26-0 at Headingley

• Warrington's losing run stretches to five matches

• Cas beat Toulouse for second win in two games

But victory came at a cost for playmaker Oliver Russell, who kicked his side's first conversion but was then forced to leave the field with a head knock 12 minutes before the interval.

After going 12-4 down, Catalans got back within range when Josh Drinkwater broke free from halfway and Davies was on hand to finish in the corner.

But Lolohea made it 14-8 with a penalty just after the restart.

Then Giants' French star Theo Fages, against his countrymen, helped double the advantage when following onto a Jack Cogger grubber.

Sam Tomkins then put Chan over on the hour before missing his third conversion to get Catalans back within eight points. But Jones' try, followed by two more Lolohea goals, completed the job.

Huddersfield coach Ian Watson:

"It was probably easier for Catalans as they know where they are in terms of travel. Our players have been here a long time not knowing what's happening.

"They can't help what has happened but if they run the risk of travelling on the day they run the risk of missing the game and that's something they need to look at. Everyone knows when the fixtures are so if one team chooses to travel on the day they run this risk.

"Once they got here, they were given longer than they probably should have been allowed. I'd say it had an effect on us too. We started flat - whether that was from hanging around in the changing rooms..

"But we worked our way back into the game and then started to create some opportunities for ourselves It's a good result for us. We know that to be a top team we need to beat top teams."

Catalans boss Steve McNamara:

"I've had easier days. We checked all the forecasts and things changed drastically at the death. There was an absolute gale coming.

"So we got into cars and drove in dangerous winds to Toulouse and get here just before the kick-off and had go straight onto the field.

"I believe Hull KR v Warrington was delayed too due to traffic on the M62. Will they want everyone from Warrington to stay the night beforehand in Hull in the future?

"This game was about trying to do the right thing by everybody and there was a freak of nature happened which delayed us. I'm not going to use it as an excuse. We just weren't quite good enough."

Huddersfield: Lolohea; I Senior, Leutele, Cudjoe, McGillvary; Cogger, Russell; Hill, Levi, Trout, McQueen, Jones, Yates.

Interchanges: Greenwood, Ikahihifo, Lawrence, Fages.

Catalans Dragons: Tomkins; Davies, Romano, Langi, Yaha; May, Drinkwater; Napa, Garcia, Dudson, Seguier, Chan, McMeeken.

Interchanges: Da Costa, Le Cam, Goudemand, Cozza.

Referee: Tom Grant

• Super League Show - watch and catch-up here