With the Dragons having just gone top of Super League both Huddersfield Giants and Warrington Wolves came into the game knowing that a win would lift them level on points with the league leadrs and a big win (Giants by 65, Wolves by 44) would see them atop the pile overnight.

The Giants had a weekend off after their shocking golden point loss to the Rhinos after Leeds fought back brilliantly in the closing fifteen minutes. The Wolves won comfortably last weekend against Hull KR and were favourites to take the two points in tonight second match of the double-header at the Totally Wicked Stadium in St Helens.

Ben Murdoch-Masila’s return to the Primrose and Blue lasted just three and a half minutes after a swinging arm on Matty English which left the Giants prop prostrate and being fitted with a neck brace prior to being stretchered off. Murdoch-Masila was shown yellow after a fifteen minute haitus to deal with the injury.

Warrington opened the scoring through a Stefan Ratchford penalty on eight minutes but it was the Giants who scored the first try, two minutes later, Ukuma Ta’ai crashing through the defensive line before diving over to score one-handed. Aiden Sezer added the conversion for a 6-2 lead.

The Giants were using the extra player to pressure the Wolves line. Blake Austin dropped the ball on nineteen and lashed out with his leg at the advancing Giants player. He was the second Wolves player to be shown yellow as Warrington started to lose their cool.

On twenty-five Ben Currie won the race to ground a grubber kick, just before the ball went dead in goal. Ratchford kicked the conversion to edge the Wolves back into a narrow lead.

Two minutes from the interval Sezer added a penalty goal to the Giants tally to level the scores, there was little to choose between the two sides on the first half performances.

Two minutes after the restart Gareth Widdop took a dodgy looking pass from Toby King on the Giants thirty metre line and sprinted to the line, throwing the dummy to Ash Golding. Ratchford added the conversion for a six point lead.

After just having had a try ruled out by the video referee Jermaine McGillvary had acres of space to take the pass and walk in to score in the corner. Sezer shaved the outside of the far post with his conversion, the Giants back within two.

Just under the hour Tom Lineham got Warrington’s third of the evening with Toby King again the provider as he attracted three defenders before offloading to the supporting Lineham who went thirty down the wing to score. Ratchford missed the conversion and with twenty left it was the Wolves with a converted try advantage.

On seventy-three Oliver Russell set up a nailbiting finish as he took the pass from Cudjoe and went between two Giants tacklers to dive over the line for the four pointer. With Sezer off the field, Russell took the kick and locked the sides up at 18-18.

With just over three minutes remaining Austin kicked a forty metre drop goal to regain a one point lead.

The Giants were beaten by a single point for the second game running as the Wolves emerged from a real arm-wrestle with a hard fought win, a result which sends them to third in the table, level on points with the Catalans Dragons and Wigan Warriors. This will be hard to take for the Giants after another gritty performance, this time coming from behind but ultimately getting the same outcome. Warrington will know that this wasn’t the best, or most disciplined performance, but it was a valuable two points.

Giants: Golding, McGillvary (T), Wardle, McIntosh, Sezer (2G), O’Brien, Matagi, Edwards, Lawrence, English, Ta’ai (T), Cudjoe, Holmes. Subs: Russell (T, G), Hewitt, Wood, Walne.

Wolves: Ratchford (3G), Lineham (T), King, Charnley, Austin (DG, SB on 19), Widdop (T), Hill, Clark, Cooper, Currie (T), Hughes, Murdoch-Masila (SB on 4), Mamo.  Subs: Clark, Philbin, Akauola, Walker.

Referee: Ben Thaler.

Half-Time: 8-8.

Full-Time: 18-19.

Ground: Totally Wicked Stadium, St Helens