Reload: 5 of the Best Games vs Wigan

By Sean Evans

As first faces off against second in the Betfred Super League this weekend, we take a look back at the Greatest Games between the two sides in recent years. Tickets are still available!

Giants 32-24 Wigan (July 2003) 

Highly-favoured Wigan came to town on the back of four wins, including big victories against title chasing Bradford Bulls and St. Helens, but it was at the McAlpine Stadium they found their biggest test of recent weeks.

Future Huddersfield favourite David Hodgson got the scores underway for the Warriors in just the third minute but tries from Brandon Costin, Jim Gannon and Marcus St Hilaire - the latest scored with only 12-men on the field following Darren Turner’s sin-binning - gave the home side an 8-point advantage at the break.

A 15 minute hat-trick from Brett Dallas, interspersed with Costin’s second try, put the visitors ahead but a Paul Reilly try and a Steve McNamara goal levelled the scores at 24 apiece.

With momentum firmly in the Giants hands Paul March touched down to give the Giants a 6-point lead. McNamara’s penalty put the game out of Wigan’s reach and gave Huddersfield a second major scalp of the season, having already beaten St. Helens. 

🎶 𝓽𝓱𝓮 𝓼𝔂𝓶𝓹𝓱𝓸𝓷𝔂 𝓬𝓸𝓷𝓽𝓲𝓷𝓾𝓮𝓼 🎶

Giants vs @WiganWarriorsRL. 1st vs 2nd.

01.03.2020

Tickets available now🎟️ https://t.co/3TeUztHwds pic.twitter.com/9kE2HgUxGe
— Huddersfield Giants (@Giantsrl) February 25, 2020

Giants 19-20 Wigan (March 2008)

An agonising affair took place at the Galpharm Stadium in Round 6 of the Super League XIII season, which saw Huddersfield fall 1-point short of a third win in six against Brian Noble’s Wigan.

A tame start saw the visitors put 2 points on the board with three minutes on the board. Leroy Cudjoe replied just four minutes later however, to level the scores at 2-2. The first try of the game came in the 25th minute and it was the ‘Giant Warrior’ Luke Robinson that put the home side ahead. Darrell Goulding managed to put the away side back in the game and it was the boot of Pat Richards that levelled the scores, and that is how it stayed until half-time.

The Giants knew what they had to do and came out with the right intensity to take the game to Wigan. Kevin Brown got the Giants back in the lead, and after the conversion and two further penalty conversions from Cudjoe, it was a Brown’s one pointer put the Giants 19-8 up with just 6 minutes remaining.

Composure was vital and it was lacked as tries from Coley and Carmont, both converted by Richards, with just four minutes remaining gave the away side a tight win.

Wigan 04-34 Giants (July 2008)

Huddersfield pulled off one of their finest performances of the 2008 season in their 2nd outing against the Warriors.

Four months after the hard defeat at home to the Wigan side, the travelling Giants started as they meant to go on and first half tries from David Hodgson, Paul Whatuira and Darrell Griffin, along with two conversions and a penalty goal from Chris Thorman saw the Giants trample all over the JJB Stadium and left the side with a commanding 18 point to nil lead at the break.

Any hope the home side had of getting into the game was quickly thwarted as Jamahl Lolesi crossed in the 42nd minute to extend the lead. 6 minutes later Ryan Hudson’s score added to that and with Thorman adding both conversions, the score stood at 30-nil and a shocked Wigan home crowd fell silent.

A glimmer of hope did appear just before the hour mark, with Pat Richards scoring in the corner but not being able to add the conversion meant the home side still needed 5 tries to win the game. Gareth Hock saw red and David Hodgson scored another to finish the game off as Huddersfield walked away comfortable winners.

𝘛𝘩𝘪𝘨𝘩𝘳𝘶𝘣𝘣𝘦𝘳 (𝘯): a game between first and second in the Super League, which is also the first home game of the Super League season for the home side.

e.g "This match between Huddersfield and Wigan on Sunday 1st March is a thigh rubber" ⬇️ https://t.co/EFKljbdLR6
— Huddersfield Giants (@Giantsrl) February 24, 2020

Wigan 16-18 Giants (August 2010)

A fresh Wigan side, led by Australian Michael Maguire, were taking the Super League by storm in 2010 but with the season nearing it’s climax it was a visit from the Giants that stalled the onslaught.

Wigan were 6 points clear at the top of Super League when the sides met but with Wigan starting to struggle at home, the Giants smelt the blood of an Aussie man and his side.

It all started so well for the home side, Karl Pryce and Joel Tomkins crossing leaving the score 10-nil at the break.

Huddersfield came out a rejuvenated side in the second half and lucky 13 minutes in Leroy Cudjoe sparked the side into life with a try after a throw and hope offload from Michael Lawrence. Luke Robinson brought the game level after a great little run from broken play to slam down in front of the home end. Brett Hodgson proved to be the game breaker as he converted from the touchline to push the Giants 2 ahead.

It was the other Tomkins brother that helped Wigan regain the lead after a splendid 60 metre run and man of steel elect, Pat Richards, moved the home side 4-points ahead.

However, with ten minutes left on the clock, a perfectly weighted cross field kick found Leroy Cudjoe wide open to slam down his second of the match and a conversion from Hodgson helped Huddersfield take all the spoils from a fascinating fixture.

Wigan 16-20 Giants (February 2012) 

Opening round shocks are usually taken with a pinch of salt, but this shock really set the path for a side on the verge of something special over the next 24 months.

Wigan were starting a new era under head coach Shaun Wane, whilst Nathan Brown’s troops were down to the bare minimum with as many as 7 first team players out and the opening exchanges reflected that. Wigan’s dominance didn’t last long though and former favourite turned traitor, Lee Gilmour silenced the home crowd.

Sam Tomkins did bring Wigan level after another characteristically flashy try, but Wigan could not cope with the dominance of Danny Brough’s boot, being pinned back in attack by the Giants half-back.

His penalty goal before the break built some momentum before a clever kicked set up Larne Patrick’s try.

Liam Farrell kept the home side in the game but another Larne Patrick try meant that Huddersfield were in the ascendancy going into the closing stages of the match. Wigan found a consolation try in Sean O’Loughlin but with four points the lead, the away fans could celebrate as Huddersfield held on to one of the results of the season just 80 minutes after the season had begun.

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