Huddersfield Giants finally halted a miserable run of Super League results with a gritty 24-22 victory over York Knights on Saturday, the visitors securing their first win since early April and the opening success for Jim Lenihan since his May appointment.
Key moments and scorers
The match finished Huddersfield 24, York 22. The Giants scored four tries through Lewis Jagger, Tui Lolohea, Connor Wrench and Zac Woolford, with George Flanagan converting all four kicks. York’s four tries came from David Nofoaluma, Scott Galeano, Jordan Thompson — who marked his 400th career appearance — and Tom Inman, Jon Bennison adding three conversions.
- Final score: Huddersfield Giants 24, York Knights 22
- Huddersfield tries: Jagger, Lolohea, Wrench, Woolford; goals: Flanagan 4
- York tries: Nofoaluma, Galeano, Thompson, Inman; goals: Bennison 3
| Team | Tries | Goals |
|---|---|---|
| Huddersfield | 4 | 4 (Flanagan) |
| York | 4 | 3 (Bennison) |
Huddersfield's victory looked comfortable with about 10 minutes remaining after Woolford’s try put them 24-10 clear. But York, never short of spirit at their home patch, struck twice late through Thompson and Inman to reduce the deficit to two points and set up a tense finish. The visitors held on in the final four minutes to clinch the result.
How the game unfolded
York opened the scoring when David Nofoaluma grounded Paul McShane’s lofted kick near the posts and Jon Bennison converted. Huddersfield then found their groove, with Lolohea involved in a big way — not only scoring himself but setting up teammates, notably creating the chance for Jagger and later assisting Wrench.
Despite several promising spells for both sides and some dropped opportunities, it was a combination of dogged defence and methodical kicking from Huddersfield that ultimately proved decisive. The win was their first against York since a victory on 4 April and their first success in 12 successive Super League matches.
"Congratulations to Huddersfield - they've been in a lot of close games of late and they were due to get one over the line," York head coach Mark Applegarth told BBC Radio York. "We're very inconsistent at the moment... it's frustrating when you're coaching and we're making some simple errors. It's nothing like rocket science that we've got to fix."
Huddersfield head coach Jim Lenihan, who took charge in May, described the result as a relief and expressed happiness for his players. For a club that had been searching for form, the win provides a timely boost as they look to arrest a slide that has seen them slip to the foot of the table.
Local impact and what comes next
For Huddersfield supporters, the victory will be greeted as a release valve after a long and frustrating sequence of near-misses and defeats. It may also buy Lenihan and his coaching staff crucial breathing space while they attempt to steady a season that has not gone to plan.
There are still questions to answer. York, for all their late revival, will be concerned by errors and two potentially costly head injury assessments during the match — with Niall Evalds and David Nofoaluma both failing HIAs — and by the defensive lapses that allowed Huddersfield to score 24 unanswered points mid-game.
Huddersfield's immediate task is to build on this result and convert the relief into consistency. The margin of victory — two points — emphasises how fine the margins are in Super League and how quickly momentum can shift. For now, though, Giants fans can celebrate a hard-earned win and hope it sparks a run of better displays.
Expect the mood in Huddersfield to be cautiously optimistic; after a dozen straight losses there’s no denying a decent sense of relief. As any Yorkshire rugby supporter will tell you, a barnstorming comeback makes for more interesting conversations down the club than a comfortable afternoon ever will — even if you'd prefer the comfort occasionally.
