Game six of a roller coaster opening weekend of Super League 2025 took place on Sunday afternoon as a much-fancied Warrington Wolves made the journey to Huddersfield to take on a Giants side who many were tipping to have a season battling to avoid the wooden spoon.
The Giants had been given a ten points start on the coupon by the bookies who must have been collectively sweating on another win for the underdogs in a round which had seen the Warriors and Rhinos beaten in games that they were expected to win, Hull FC upsetting the odds with a big win in the south of France, and St Helens recording a record Super League win over the Salford Red Devils.
There were a handful of new signings on show for both sides as Luke Robinson’s Claret and Gold took on the Primrose and Blue of Sam Burgess’s hopefuls.
Warrington wasted their captains challenge with just seven minutes on the clock after they unsuccessfully disputed Tui Lolohea diffusing a bomb while grounded in goal.
Huddersfield opened the game scoring on twenty-four after Warrington failed to diffuse a bomb, and after a last ditch tackle a fast play-the-ball saw a loping pass to Tui Lolohea who scampered through a broken defence to dive in. Danny Richardson, on a short loan from Hull KR, kicked the conversion for a 6-0 lead.
The Giants squandered their captains challenge in the thirty-fifth minute on a ball steal, both sides now without further scope for challenge.
Fifty seconds from the interval, the Wolves struck back as Arron Lindop took a George Williams pass, fended off an attempted tackle, and slid over the line with a tackler attached. Stefan Ratchford was just wide with the conversion attempt as the half time hooter sounded, the Giants with a two-point interval lead.
The Wolves hit the front on forty-five, Matty Ashton grounding after a right to left move down the back line, the winger improving the angle by rounding towards the sticks. Ratchford had a much easier conversion opportunity, and this time made no mistake, the Wolves with a 10-6 lead.
Danny Walker kicked a relieving 20-40 after a good period of Giants pressure. Warrington took full advantage when on fifty-eight Toby King found a massive space wide left to go through a gap off a Matt Dufty pass and glide over for a third try of the afternoon for the visitors. Ratchford missed an easy looking conversion but at 14-6 the Wolves were pulling clear.
On sixty-seven the Giants were back in the game when Joe Greenwood crashed to the line off a Zac Woolford pass, grounding on the line to set up a grandstand finish. Richardson added the extras to reduce the arrears to just two points.
The win was sealed on seventy-five, Matt Dufty chasing his own grubber into goal through a pack of Giants defenders and grounding. Josh Thewlis took over the kicking duties and added the extras for an eight-point victory.
Warrington didn’t have everything their own way and the Giants put in a great first half performance and were deserving of the half time lead. A couple of missed conversions from Ratchford meant that the Giants were able to get back in the game in the closing stages but a moment of genius from Matt Dufty sealed the win as he chased and grounded his own grubber. Warrington happy to have got away from a tough game with the two points.
Huddersfield Giants: Gagai, Swift, Hewitt, Bibby <Jake>, Wallis, Lolohea (T), Richardson (G 2/2), Burgess, Woolford, Wilson, Greenwood (T), Murchie, Cudjoe. Subs: Golding, English, Rogers, Rushton. 18th Man: Bibby <Jack>.
Warrington Wolves: Dufty (T), Thewlis (G 1/1), Lindop (T), King, Ashton (T), Williams, Ratchford (G 1/3), Vaughan, Walker, Yates, Holroyd, Russell, Currie. Subs: Powell, Crowther, Musgrove, Philbin. 18th Man: Taylor-Wray.
Half-Time: 6-4.
Full-Time: 12-20.
Score Progression: 4-0, 6-0, 6-4 : HT: 6-8, 6-10, 6-14, 10-14, 12-14, 12-18, 12-20 :FT.
Lead Exchanges: Huddersfield - Warrington.
Referee: Tom Grant.
