SUPERB SCHOLARS DEFEAT THE RHINOS

Huddersfield Giants Scholars produced a massive performance to secure a 32–24 victory over Leeds Rhinos Scholars, overcoming late pressure in a hard-fought contest. Match report by Oliver Brown

Pre-match rain made conditions challenging, but the Giants adapted superbly and made a fast start. Early pressure pinned Leeds deep inside their own half, and it wasn’t long before that dominance told.

The breakthrough came in the 5th minute, as Noah White got out the back of some nice shape to open the scoring and added the conversion to his own try. Just 5 minutes later, Leo Laycock darted over from dummy half to send our Scholars 12-0 up after 10 minutes, with Noah White adding the conversion again.

Leeds responded through their right edge, but the Giants quickly regained control. A well-worked shift to the right created space for Callum Halliday to finish in the corner and restore the Giants' advantage. Huddersfield continued to dominate territory and possession, forcing errors from Leeds and building sustained pressure with their defensive effort matching their attack, preventing Leeds from gaining momentum.

The standout moment of the half came in the 34th minute. Javae Cupples-Tinker produced a brilliant individual effort, breaking from inside his own 20-meter line down the left edge before showing blistering pace to score under the posts.

Leeds managed to hit back just before the break with another right-edge try, but the Giants’ defensive resilience ensured they went into half-time well in control.

The Giants with a 22-12 lead at the Interval.

Leeds struck early after the restart, but the Giants responded in fine style. Sustained pressure led to a deserved try in the 53rd minute, with Spencer Hartley powering over from close range. Just moments later, the Giants thought they had produced the try of the match. Noah White showed great awareness to chase a chip over the top and offload to Leo Laycock to finish, only for the effort to be ruled out for offside.

Undeterred, Huddersfield continued to press. A powerful carry by Jack Teal created a quick play of the ball, allowing Javae Cupples-Tinker to cross for his second try of the evening and extend the lead to 32–16 heading into the final quarter of the contest.

Leeds did mount a late fightback with two tries in the closing stages but crucially failed to add the extras on both occasions.

The Giants showed composure and resilience to see out the game in tough conditions.

Full-time - Huddersfield Giants scholarship 32-24 Leeds Rhinos scholarship

Tries:

Noah White

Leo Laycock

Callum Halliday

Javae Cupples-Tinker x2

Spencer Hartley

Conversions:

Noah White 4/6